Pee Pee in the Potty!!!

We've been "experimenting" with potty training over the last few weeks as Jackson has started telling us when he has already gone in his diaper. I've been fairly unsuccessful until this morning!! He slept about 12 hours last night and really didn't have much of a wet diaper this morning so I took him to the potty. He wanted to use the big potty...so I moved his seat over to our toilet and placed him up there...still nothing. I thought about his bathtub peewee's and decided to put his foot in some warm water. IT WORKED!!! He peepee'd in the potty!! While I know this wasn't necessarily intentional...it's progress!!! YAY! We danced around the bathroom and flushed! Everyday is something new...I love being a mommy!

Happy Father's Day!

Pete ended up having a show in El Paso...so his special gift was spending time with his Daddy on Father's Day! He came back talking about what a great time he had! We missed him here...but celebrated with a dinner before he left. Jackson and I went to my parents house to spend time with my dad. Michael cooked for us and dad relaxed. It was a great day!

The crayons tasted good!

Making Daddy's card...it was fun times!

Pete and Dad's father's day presents all packed up in their coolers! :)

Dad showing the very "piggy" gifts we got him for is desk. The heart pillow is what he uses to cough...it helps hold the bones in place. His scar looks amazing, doesn't it!!??

This was the picture I photo shopped and framed in a "LOVE" frame for dad!! :) He thought it was funny!

By Popular Demand...

Okay...here is the latest belly update. I have been fairly active so far this summer with little time for "inappropriate" eating! :) I'm hoping to have actually stayed the same weight...looks like I did so far! Pregnancy is going well...can't complain! I've been busy trying to reorganize closets and get the boys' rooms switched out and ready. My personal decorator (aka...mommy!) will be coming over in the next few weeks to make my "vision" come true!! :)

There's No Place Like Home...

Dad is finally home. After a long day of waiting on release orders and papers, mom finally got to take dad home...and to a cool house I might add! Mom has taken on all of dad's daily duties and her own like a pro...she's handled more "out of the ordinary" situations than have ever come up at one time!! I'm very proud of both of my parents...they've both overcome some huge obstacles over the last week and half! I love you both! I'm so glad dad is home now...I plan on going over and giving him hell later...just to be funny! :) Thank you to everyone for such great support, caring, and thoughtfulness through this whole ordeal!

It's Almost Over!!

When it rains it pours I suppose. When dad first went in for surgery (or right before), mom started noticing the house getting warm...so instead of waiting she immediately called the AC company. After an odd ball guy coming in and saying they had mice, they called an electrician to check and sure enough...NO MICE!!! Mom was not happy to say the least. She called and talked to the owner of the company and had a better tech sent out. They found that one of the units was not working...so it was replaced. About 4 days ago, mom noticed the house getting warm again. She called the company again...now the other unit is going out! They had to order a part which took until yesterday to get in. They have to come back today to fix some wiring issue and then it should be working! In the mean time...Dad is supposed to come home soon! Probably today!!! He's made great progress very quickly. I'm sure he's ready to be back in bed with his poochies though!! :) Keep you all posted...but it all looks great for a quick trip home!

Movin' on up...to the Dunn Tower!!

I went to see Dad last night. Mom and Michael already beat me there, of course! Dad got moved to his own private room! He seems much more comfortable without all the bells and whistles going off around him. He has a silent heart monitor attached to him that sends information to special computers located around the hospital with full time monitor staff watching. He has been able to stand up to use the restroom a few times...not his most comfortable action right now, but I'm sure each day will get better. His chest is very sore and that makes the slightest actions very uncomfortable for him. Pain meds do a great job knocking him out for a bit though! I will update more as he progresses!

Update-sorry so late!

Yesterday went well. Dad stayed in the ICU for one more day due to an arythmic heartbeat and high blood sugar level. He has a temporary pace maker that has actually had to work a few times...not the most exciting as his family! He's in great shape for just having that much work done to his heart. The nurses and doctors are very reassuring that this is all VERY common to his procedure. He did finally eat a little bit of solid food as well...salsbary steak (old school lunch type) and peaches. He was not overly excited about eating, but he did it anyway. Just another step towards recovering.

I called this morning to check in with the nurses on dad. They said he's doing really well. He's sitting in his chair again. Dr. Lawry came in early this morning and was very happy with his progress...so happy that he will let him move upstairs to a regular hospital room this afternoon!! That means no more 20 minute visits or visiting hours!! YAY! This is a positive move and we just hope dad starts feeling more comfortable now. He's been a champ through this whole thing! We are very proud of how strong he is! Keep you posted as we go...looking good!

Last one for today...

We went in to see dad at the 6pm visit time. They were just waking him from anaesthesia...not an easy way to see someone you care about. The breathing tubes were gagging him and he was having a lot of trouble with that. He was responding very well to instruction though. When our 20 minutes were up we were told to leave and come back at 8pm.

At the 8 pm visit, they were ready to take the breathing tubes out. I was really glad for him because I knew it would make him much more comfortable. The first thing he said when it came out was, "Hit by a truck!" We felt so awful...so helpless. Then, in true "dad" style he says, "Where are my puppies? Rudy?" We laughed at that. His mouth was really dry and he wanted water...the nurse said no. When she walked away he said, "Ice chips..." I asked and she again said no...he needed a few more hours off meds first. Then he says, "So, I guess a beer is out of the question!" He also asked if I would take a picture of him for the blog...I said, "NO WAY!" Not yet...maybe tomorrow if he is more clear headed. Chest cracked open and everything...he still has a great sense of humor. He was very tired and just wanted to sleep so we left for the night to give him rest. We knew he would keep waking up if we went to visit with him...and he is in great hands. His biggest complaint right now is that his butt hurts. He's been on his back for almost 12 hours straight now. The nurses were going to turn him as we left. Mom will be back at the hospital in the morning. We'll all meet up at some point there tomorrow. The nurse said that he could be in a regular hospital room as soon as tomorrow afternoon depending on his progress. So far...he is doing REALLY well. Keep on praying and thinking of him...quick recovery thoughts always welcome!! :) Update again tomorrow!

He's Out!!

Finally...the relief of knowing that he is out of surgery!! We spoke with his doctor just a minute ago. He said that dad did really well during surgery. He ended up having two procedures once they got in there. They replaced the valve but realized he had more "ballooning" of his Aorta (the main artery leading from the heart to the rest of the body) then they originally thought. They replaced the ballooned area of his Aorta as well. He'll be on a ventilator (just the breathing portion) for about 4-6 hours by doctor's orders...so he won't be awake for quite some time. He'll stay in the ICU for monitoring as all the patients do following this surgery. They will let us see him in about an hour and a half. One thing the doctor stressed to us was that this was a congenital defect (dad was born with this) and that the gene that causes the valve abnormality also causes the aorta problems and that we (his kiddos and grandkids) should get checked out at some point to be sure we didn't inherit it.

Again, so thankful that the scary part is done. We are looking forward to his healing process and getting "Papa" back into action! Update again around 4ish!

1/2 Way Through

Just got the latest update on dad at 12:30. They are still in the early stages, but have just switched him over to the heart/lung machine (or bipass). This is the long part where they remove the old valve and replace it with the new one. So far so good! This is the part that makes my stomach hurt. Keep you posted as we hear more...they said we will have another update by 2:30 at the latest.

Dad Update

None of us can get a signal on our cell phones...so that's why no texts or calls have gone out. Dad went in at 10:30ish and we will get another update at 12:30. The procedure takes around 4 hours. Get back with you guys when we hear more!

The Big Day!

Mom, Michael, Jackson, and I are at Methodist Hospital Downtown right now. Dad is in the back...we are waiting to hear when they start. We had a nice dinner of GRILLED HOTDOGS (mmmmmmmmmmmmm) last night with everyone. He is well rested and Michael will be stealing his work phone to keep him relaxed after surgery (at least for a few days). I'll keep you posted as we go!

Here is the address for anyone interested:
The Methodist Hospital
6565 Fannin Street
Houston, TX 77030

Keep you posted as soon as we hear anything!

Daddy-O!

My dad gets his heart surgery this coming Tuesday, June 9th. He has a bicuspid instead of a tricuspid valve and it is time for it to get replaced now. He will be at MD Anderson with a VERY reputable doctor. I'll be posting regularly throughout the surgery to keep family and everyone up to date. Send him your happy thoughts as he goes through a pretty big surgery. He'll need them as he is not allowed to have alcohol for awhile after!! :) Kidding! Check back Tuesday afternoon for up to date information!

SB&J!!!

I went to Kroger the other day and thought I would browse their organic/health food section to see if anything new came in. I was looking closely at the peanut butter section and found "sunbutter." I picked it up and started reading labels and found it was just sunflower seed turned into a peanut butter like substance. We got it home and had our first SB&J!!! He LOVED it!! I must say, it tasted very close to peanut butter. This opens so many fun doors for us like the infamous Peanut Butter Fluff, or Sunbutter Fluff in our case!!! (Our Auntie's used to make us that in Newport all the time...it's always been a favorite!)

Pool Fun!

Thanks again to Miranda and her fun backyard, Jackson got his very own pool! It has a dinosaur head that squirt water. He thinks it's a blast! We've had lots of fun times outside with all of our new outside toys. It's been really nice! Enjoy!

Baby Shower!

I work with some of the greatest people around! Without them, I don't know that going to work would be so easy! AnnG...the best to say the least...put together a baby shower for me. Everyone truly made me feel loved! Thanks guys!!


Kari!!!!!!!


Me and Brenda!


Phil and James!


We just teach...we're not so good at opening cake trays!



Me and PhalANNG!

24 1/2 Week Appointment

Everything went well during our latest appointment. I'm 24 1/2 weeks now...time is flying by!! Heart rate was great at 148bpm...the only thing wrong is that I am a FATTY!!!!!!!!!! They weighed me in at 135!!!! Holy cow! When I delivered Jackson, I weighed 143! So...it's official...mama is backing off the junk food! :) I don't feel like I've gained anywhere but the belly...but obviously I have! So here's to water and crackers! (kidding!!) I'm not going to diet...just portion appropriately. ;)