A Sad Goodbye

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to my good pal Beemer....we sold her yesterday to a wonderful new owner. I know it is silly, but I actually cried of her having to go. But thankfully the owner seems like a good ol guy and will take good care of her. I will truly miss her, as she was so good to me and us but unfortunatley was getting a little too small for our growing family. But as I was talking to my Dad about it, we said that will push me to get my RN and get another Beemer but bigger one. So I am just praying I get accepted into one of the programs next year!! Here is a couple pics of Jason driving her off for the last time....it truly was a sad day for me yesterday :(

Christmas 2011, part 1

Santas elves came a day early here in San Antonio....Kerrick got a trampoline!! Here are a few pictures of him trying it out for the first time. It was a whopping 46 degrees out, so we only stayed out for about 30 minutes before coming in to warm up!!

PASSED

Just wanted to send out a Congrats to Jason for passing his PT test with a 100!! And because he made a 100 he gets 3 free days of leave! Way to go Bud!!

One Month Old

Caelum is one month old today!! I can not believe it! As I have been told many times, to enjoy every minute because they grow up way to fast - oh how true that is. Even though Caelum has proven to be a different baby than Kerrick was (I know every kid is not suppose to be the same but still had to state that fact), he is wonderful blessing we have received. And even though we have only had him here with us a month thus far, I can not imagine our lives without him!
I went for a visit to my work and to pick up his medication on Monday, so of course I took advantage and got his weight....as of Monday he was a whopping 8.15 pounds. We figured he did gain more weight as he is getting his cute little double chin, but was still surprised to see the numbers. But then again he does eat like every 2 hours, so it is not all that surprising!!
Kerrick is still doing really well with Caelum. He is very protective of him and very helpful with everything and too sweet with Caelum. If anyone other than us comes near Caelum, and Kerrick is standing by him he pushes them away - such a protective Big Brother! Hopefully it will stay that way.
We hope you all are having a good week and ready for Christmas!!!

First Christmas Party

Here is a picture of the boys before their first Christmas party. One of Jason's buddies from high school lives here in San Antonio and we were invited over to their Christmas Party. (Sorry Kerrick would not let go of his snacks and hold Caelum for the picture.

Pictures with Santa

We took the boys to good ol Bass Pro Shop this morning to get their pictures made with Santa and as you can see....it was loads of fun!! Thankfully we did not put them on Santa's lap together as I am sure Caelum would not have made it through it with Kerrick kicking and screaming and poor Santa trying to keep him on his lap. Oh well - tis the memories!!

Caelum's First Bath

We gave Caelum his first full submersion bath earlier this week. He of course did great and loves to take a bath! We used Kerrick's baby bath tub in the kitchen sink, which worked out fine but have since been trying to give both Caelum and Kerrick a bath at the same time in the bath tub. The picture above is of Caelum during his first bath!!

3 weeks old

Caelum at his first birthday party!
Kerrick bowling for the first time.
Gramm's and Caelum's on her last morning here :(

Caelum is 3 weeks old this week! He went to his first birthday party this past weekend. Our good friends son, Caden turned 5, so we all went to his party at the bowling alley. Kerrick got to bowl for the first time and had a good time. He has not quite learned the idea of sharing, but he actually did good with sharing with bowling and letting other people take their turn. And of course once they turned the music on in the bowling alley, he had to show off his moves! Too Funny.
Caelum is doing really well and let us just say the boy loves to eat (every 2 - 2.5 hours to be exact!) And Kerrick is still doing wonderful with him. Yesterday was our first day
Gramm's also went home this week and it was oh so sad to let her go...but I guess she would like to see Dad again and get back to her own life and most importantly let her get a full nights rest. But it sure was nice having her while we could. What a tremendous blessing you are and were to us Mom! Sure wish we were all closer! And Thanks Dad for letting her come and stay with us, although we wish you were here too. But we are thankful you both were able to share the beginning of this new chapter with us!! Love you guys and can not wait to see you again very soon!!

Kerrick's 2nd Haircut

Hair Before
Hair After

After picking up Kerrick from school today, I took him to get his hair trimmed. I had originally went in with intentions of getting 2 inches cut off but backed it back to 1.5 inches. He did much better this time around. He started off in the chair on the booster seat until the barber actually came over....so I ended up standing up holding him while the barber cut his hair and Kerrick had a lollipop in one hand and cheerios in the other. And of course some hair mixed in with it. But he did not fuss while he was getting his hair cut. Thankfully his curls are still there despite getting a lot of hair cut off!!

2 Weeks Old

Caelum turned 2 weeks old yesterday!! Gramm's and I took him to his 2 week appointment and all went well. He is back to his birthweight and an ounce...7.1 pounds. Caelum is now 19.75 inches long. He did really well despite having his heel pricked for his second newborn screening. After his appointment he was a trooper as we went and did a little shopping! He will not have to go to the doctor again until he is 2 months old and we will have Daddy go to that one as Caelum will have to get a few shots at that appointment :(
Click HERE for pictures from the past week...including all the visitors we have had and Thanksgiving Day!

1 Week Old

As the saying goes....time flies when you are having fun!! I can not believe Caelum is already 1 week old today (well almost 2 weeks now that I am behind in posting this!) . He has been such a good baby thus far! And it is amazing how different kids are from one another - Caelum is way more "vocal" than Kerrick was. Kerrick is doing great with Caelum as well. If Caelum is not in the room, Kerrick is asking where baby is. And if he is in the room Kerrick, wants to kiss on him or hold him and wanted to help feed him this morning. If Caelum is swinging, Kerrick will just walk up out of the blue and give Caelum kisses in the air. Too Cute!!
This past Friday we took Caelum to his 3 day well child visit. All was well except his weight in which we was right at the 10% mark. They do not like the babies to be 10% below their birth weight and Caelum was right there at the 10% mark. So we went back today he was only day 4%. I was trying to strictly breastfeed, but once again, I am not producing enough milk, so we are supplementing some of the feedings with formula. So I will try a few things to get the production rolling and if in a few weeks it does nto work, we will go to all formula.
As far as his kidneys, the test showed he had a grade 2 reflux in his left kidney and the right of his bladder showed diverticulum. The urologist said he has healthy kidneys and is not too concerned so we will go see him again in 3 months for more testing to see if it has all healed on its own. So for the time being Caelum will continue his antibiotics until we see the Urologist in February.
Other than that, we are all doing very well. My dad, brother, and Nanny came and were here all last week and unfortunately had to leave this past Sunday. But thankfully they will be back in January. I hate the time with them was way too short, but so glad they were able to come and share these memories of welcoming our little one into our lives. My Mom is still here and will be for a few more weeks - what a tremendous help she has been to us!!
Click here for some pictures of his first week!!

Caelum Brown Wells

IT'S A BOY!!! We welcomed our newest addition on November 15, 2011 at 1224. Caelum was 7.0 pounds and 19.25 inches long. A little labor history....We went in at 0600 and I was at 5cm. Pitocin was started at 0730 and by about 1200 (give or take a few minutes) I was at 10cm. After 5 contractions worth of pushing we welcomed lil Caelum!! He came out and urinated everywhere which was a positive sign to us due to his kidney issues. I am attempting breastfeeding again with Caelum in which he seems to be a pro already - just hope my body can hold up its part of the feeding and keep the production up. But he is doing great. We are having to stay a bit more than 48 hours in the hospital as they had to run a couple of test for his kidneys after he was 48 hours old and then if we got the ok he can get his circumcision.
He has had the test completed in which showed he had a Grade 2 reflux in his right kidney and diverticulum on the left side of his bladder. They do not seem extremely concerned at this point and looks like it may just heal on its own. So he will continue his antibiotic to help prevent any infections and we will go to the urologist again in 2 weeks for a follow-up.
He just got back from his circumcision and rightly so, was a bit upset - broke my heart! But it is for the best especially with his kidney/bladder issue.
Other than that we are all doing great and anxious to get home.
Kerrick go to meet his lil brother on Tuesday and did really great with him. He first pointed and poked at his eye but the rest of the time, he would give him kisses and pat his back. The big tell-tell sign is when we go home with him. Unfortunately, Kerrick will most likely be in bed when we get home, so we shall see in the morning how he will react!
And a BIG Thanks to Teddy, Gramm's and Nanny for caring for Kerrick while we have been at the hospital! Uncle Chris surprised us all today and flew in for a visit and will be here through the weekend as well - so I know Kerrick is enjoying all of the attention from everyone!
Here are a few pictures from Caelums birthday....I will post more once we get home!!

Update on Lil Munchkin

Just a quick update on our Lil Munchkin in the oven. We went to the doctor today and I am still at 4cm. So if he/she does not come before Tuesday, we will be heading to the hospital early Tuesday for an induction per the Perinatologist. Other than that, not too much else going!

Update on Lil Munchkin

This past Thursday we went to see the Perinatologist and the OB. Thankfully his/her kidneys have not dilated much more but he recommends induction at 39 weeks if they have not come before then. So we then went to the OB and found out I am now 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced. My next appointment is this Wednesday and if we are 5-6cm dilated she will send us straight to the hospital. If not, the induction is scheduled for November 15.....so we are now officially playing the waiting game.
These few pictures are of the nursery thus far. We still need to find some more decorations/art for the walls and go pick up the nightstand/end table. So more pictures to come as we get more things for the room.

New Ride

Yesterday after going to the doctor we went truck shopping. We totally did not expect to come home last night with a new ride....but we did. We got a Tundra. Click HERE to see some pictures of her at home today. Thank you Lord for this HUGE blessing!!

Update on Lil Munchking #2

Yesterday we went to the Pediatric Urologist to get a plan set for when this little one decides to make their grand appearance. Basically he/she will be started on antibiotic upon arrival just to help prevent any infection. Then 24-48 hours of life they will get a renal ultrasound and a VCUG. At this point the doctor will look at the results and see what may be causing the dilation. Then at 1 month we will most likely go back for him/her to get more scans to see if it has healed on its own or what the next step is, should there need to be one.
On Thursday we will heading to the Perinatologist to get another ultrasound of the lil munchkin and check on the kidneys at this point and see if induction will be needed and then we head over to the OB afterwards just for the weekly checkup and see if I have dilated any more.
We will keep you all posted.

New Driver in Training

Here are a few pictures from this past Sunday. We were waiting for the photographer for our maternity pictures and Kerrick was getting some driving lessons from Dada! And the one of him asleep was after a long photo session with his new cut on his forhead. He got the cut right before we were about to go in to get our pictures taken....he ran into the tailgate - OUCHIE!!

Lil Munchkin Baby Shower

Today my work gave me a baby shower for Lil Munchkin. Click HERE to see all the pictures. The ones above is of me and part of my team that I work with. And the other is ALL that we were blessed with. I was truly overwhelmed with all of their generosity and blessings to us!! It truly meant a lot!!

Kerrick's First HairCut

We took Kerrick this past Sunday for his first haircut. They cut about 1 inch off of his hair. He did pretty well considering. They first tried putting the drape over him in which he did not like it at all, so they took it off. He whined through the whole thing, but Daddy was there to help try to hold him still.

Lil Munchkin Update

We went to the OB doctor this past Wednesday to check up on the LilMunchkin. He/She is doing well - right on time with the belly measurement and heartbeat was good. My cervix was checked for the first time and we are 3cm dilated, 70% effaced already. But we can be stuck at this for a while but we will see.
We went for a little tour of the hospital last night...which seems to be a pretty nice facility.
Next week is full of appointments - Pediatric Urologist, Pernatologist and OB...so more to come next week!

Welcome Back!!!

Jason finally made it home safe from his deployment this past Saturday. We had all his family at the airport to help welcome him home and then we came back to our house for a cookout. And then we had big surprise and my parents flew in and surprised us all at the cookout. So we had a wonderful weekend celebrating Jason's homecoming.
Click HERE to see the pictures. Click HERE to see a video.
More pictures to come of Kerrick's first haircut.....

Jason's Progress

So I am not sure if Jason would exactly want me to post this...but I am excited and proud of him. Here is a before and after pictures of his progress over the last several months! Glad I got my own personal trainer in the house, as he will be needed in a few months!!

Update on Grandma

So I got to talk to my dad today during my lunch and he had a little bit of updates on my Grandma. They have now discovered she has a blood disease and are trying to treat it now as well as still pumping her full of sodium and potassium. Yesterday they tried to get her out of bed and walk without oxygen. As soon as they took the oxygen off, her sats dropped to 96% and when she started walking in which she took maybe 10 steps she dropped down to 87%. Their hospital does not like it to drop below 90%. I the few places I have worked and done my clinicals, they do not like it to drop below 92-94%, so either way, it was not good. Due to her COPD her lungs are hard and can not expand to get a good breath even with the oxygen, so she is gasping and not able to take a good big breath to "catch" her breath. So she will most likely be on oxygen from now on. She may get to leave the hospital depending on the results of the latest blood test. However, when she does leave she will go to a nursing home in that they can try to do a bit of rehab to try to get some strength back and give her her medications for the blood disease. My grandfather is not able to lift and tug on her as she can not do anything by herself at this point, so she will be there for this help and hopefully go home at some point. So please just continue to pray for her and her hubby and the rest of the family during this time...we sure would appreciate it.
And here is another pic of Kerrick tonight. The past few days he has wanted to sit at the high top table, I guess to feel like a big boy. Tonight he wanted to put my sunglasses on which he thinks is too funny. And he is now finally saying I Love You....he has been saying it at school but would never say it to anyone outside of school. So he said it the other night to me and to Gramm's on the phone. Too Cute!!
And on a Praise Note....we are down to an hourly count for Jason to get home!! WOOOHOOOO!!

Prayer Request and Updates

Just wanted to ask for another prayer request, for my grandma (my Dad's mom) this time. She was not feeling well over the weekend and my grandpa ended up calling an ambulance to come pick her up on Sunday as she had not gotten out of bed since Friday, had a bad headache and her right arm was hurting. He was afraid she had a stroke. So after a long day in the ER on Sunday they ended up admitting her to the hospital in which she found out she had shingles, sodium and potassium levels were really low (due to drinking too much water and not eating) and her Oxygen sats were low, so she is on oxygen. The lastest report I got, which was last night, she was doing way better...still on oxygen, but her sodium and potassium levels were up a bit and they were hoping she can go home on Thursday depending on everything kept on the up and up. I have not spoken to my parents today but will you all updated on her progress. But please keep her in your prayers!
An update on my coworkers wife. She is doing miraculously better and hopes to maybe go home tomorrow. She is down to doing dialysis only 3 times a week now instead of 24 hours a day - that is a fast miracle in itself. But please continue to pray for her as she still has a long recovery ahead of her.
And lastly, it is not a good post unless of course it comes with a picture. This is the latest toy I found in Kerrick's toy box.....Kerrick! On Sunday he figures out how to climb in his toy box and was sitting in there playing on and off all day. Too Funny! The other picture is of him last night after he painted his pumpkin - well more like painted himself. Of course when I go in to get the camera he said "All Done" and wanted to come in, so this was the best shot I could get! Thankfully the paint came right off in the bath tub or I would have had a lot of explaining to his teachers this morning!

Lil Munchkin Update

Here are a few pictures of the Lil Munchkin from today!!
This morning I had appointment with both of our doctors. First, I went to the perinatologist in which I got the see the Lil Munchkin. He/She was not too active today, but I think they are just running out of space inside. But of course their hands were at their face (as you can see in the pictures) just like Kerrick always did. And they were practicing their breathing a little while we were watching him/her. The visit was good although the left kidney dilated even more, to 17-18cm and last time it was measuring 15. The right kidney dilated to about 10 this time, but not too much concern with that side. (Although I must have gotten the kidneys mixed up last time, as I thought it was opposite??) So he is now referring us to a Pediatric Urologist who will basically make out a plan for when the baby is born. Most likely the lil munchkin will just get put on antibiotics to prevent any infections and the kidneys will hopefully eventually cure on their own. The perinatologist believes it is just reflux and all will be ok. So we are now just waiting to hear from the Peds Urologist to setup that appointment. We will go back in 3 weeks for another ultrasound to see if they dilate even more. At that point I will be 37 weeks along and a decision will be made should they induce me in that it is not safe for the baby to be in womb and the kidneys dilating so much. So I just pray the Lord's will and selfishly praying I do not have to get induced....but will of course do what is best for the lil munchkin! I did find out that the Lil Munchkin weighs in at a whopping 5.5 lbs - might have to put him/her on a diet so they don't get too much bigger before delivery!! LOL!!
After this appointment I went to my regular OB and all was fine with that appointment...just the normal heartbeat monitoring and measuring! We will go see her in 2 weeks....and Daddy will get to hear his/her heartbeat for the first time!!!

And in other news....my coworkers wife is a true miracle. She was extubated on Tuesday, the chest tube was also taken out and she was up in a chair this morning eating breakfast!! Praise the LORD!!! Bowie said she is already getting back to her old self, pestering everybody of when she can go home!! We are all sooo excited for them and praising the Lord for such a wonderful testimony!!

Updates

Here are a few updates on Jason and my coworkers wife!
Jason scored a 100 on his written test today for the EXW and will go before the board on Thursday. He said he will receive the info he is to present today and get it all ready tomorrow in order to present it on Thursday. And I believe that will be the last step for him to qualify!!
And in the kayaking news...he got another kayak last week and then found 2 more that were similar to the one he just got for a steal of a deal. So Brad went and picked the other 2 up last night and they will sell one and keep the other 2 so they will each have one. These kayaks have a sail and all that goes with it (I am not sure of the exact name, but I know there will be pictures to come in the next few weeks!!)

And update on the Bowie Family. Bowie came to work today and said all is going ok. His wife is still in critical condition in the ICU. Her kidneys failed over the weekend, so she is on dialysis 24 hours a day. With her heart having stopped, her other organs quit for a brief few minutes and kidneys never caught back up thus is why she is on dialysis 24 hours a day. He said they were hoping to extubate her today, per her nurse. And he said she is responding to commands, which is a good thing. Thankfully his mom is in town and will get to stay for however long. So she has been a tremendous help to them all and of course spoiling their son Jordan. But please keep them in your prayers as it is going to be an extremely long road to recovery. Thankfully our clinic has been very supportive and his 2nd family to them all.

Kerrick is doing great and I think he is suspecting something is going on...the past couple of nights after bath he is looking or asking for Dada!! So I am soooo anxious to see his reaction when he does get to see Dada in person in a very short time!! We are all anxiously counting down the days!!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and everyones week is off to a wonderful start!

Another Day at the Park

I took Kerrick to the good ol park on Lackland today. We were the only ones out there for a while. Here are a few pictures from today. He decided he only wanted to take a 20 minute nap (in the car) after the park and not go back to sleep on the way home. And as you can see by the last picture this was the result of our evening walk.

Jason is doing well...still has a sore back, so prayers are needed for a quick healing for him. He is taking a test tomorrow in regards to the EXW he is trying to get. I think he only has to go before a board after this and then he will be officially qualified. But he is doing well otherwise - just anxiously awaiting the homecoming day!!

On another note...Prayer Update. My coworkers wife is still in critical condition and definitely has pneumonia. I will get more details tomorrow when we all go back to work. But please do keep praying for them!