Update!

I am taking a few moments while all 4 of my boys are sleeping and my parents are bedroom bound with the flu to update my blog in PEACE! Johnny had the flu the last night in AZ and it has slowly spread through all of us!

Last week we spent in AZ after Johnny was released from Par Electric. While we were there Johnny had his double carpel tunnel surgery and we also found out from a Urologist that Daniel will not need surgery after all; the "issue" should correct itself over time. We have not been reassigned yet so we are chillin' at my parent's house in Hemet until Johnny is off the disabled list. Until then I am taking longer than necessary HOT showers and enjoying having water pressure again!

Johnny's surgery went very well. He did black out while having the IV put in the arch of his foot, which sure gave the nurse a scare, but other than that he came through like a champ. I was a little concerned when he didn't wake up for over an hour after the procedure. Usually patients are up and talking w/ in about 20 minutes. With our boys he just needed the opportunity to take a well deserved nap! Johnny was able to use his hands the same day, no stitches, only ace bandages. He is slowly but surely getting his strength back. He has been very annoyed asking others to open jars for him or get the baby car seat out of the car. He is used to just being able to do everything himself. Jaxon never did get used to the idea of Johnny not carrying him everywhere so there have been quite a few tantrums.

Last night we went to see AVATAR in 3D. Expensive but well worth it! Since Johnny's surgery was on our 8 year anniversary I guess we are slowly making up for our missed date night.

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and we hope yours is as wonderful as we are expecting ours to be tomorrow.

Surgery

Warning: Don't read any further if you shy away from the word "testicle"

Daniel had his 4 year check-up on Friday. Almost everything was great. He screamed like a banshee during the immunizations but other than that he was a trooper. We did however come across two serious issues. He has blood in his urine and his testicles are no longer in the correct spot (meaning they are in his abdomen). We had two ultrasounds yesterday, one for the bladder and kidneys and the other for the testicles. Verdict: his kidneys and bladder all look great. The blood issue is most likely an infection, we are still awaiting lab results to confirm. His testicles on the other hand have retracted and require surgery for both to put them back in the correct spot or it will make him infertile. Jaxon already had one of his put in the correct spot, now Daniel's have just sucked back up into his abdomen when he has always been perfectly fine before. Go figure! And I was told girl's have more problems than boys! No way. I have three sons and so far we have required surgery 50% of the time in this area!

I guess it just gives me more material for Daniel's future embarassment. Poor kid!

Moving

Today Johnny was told he will be laid off on the 13th. In this program that just means he will be assigned to a new location. This project will be over by Christmas anyway so we knew it was coming. He will have a little time off before he is reassigned (which is a good thing around Christmas) as they will place all of the apprentices further into their program before they will place the first years. We were told probably the first of 2010. I am keeping my fingers crossed for San Diego. The Rady Children's hospital has a few EE specialists I would like to get Jaxon in to see and who would not want to visit the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park? Pray for me that we will not go up the northern CA in the middle of winter. At least not where it snows. Let all say this together NO SNOW, NO SNOW, NO SNOW! I don't handle the cold very well!

The most I can take is this...it snowed in Hemet on Saturday (when we were supposed to have a garage sale). This is the most snow I can handle! One day, a few hours, maybe a snowball fight & a little sledding. That's it! I am weak I know! There is a reason I love living in AZ and southern CA. Call me crazy.

I really want to be placed in LA this coming summer by my sister's house. There is a great RV park literally on the beach and I would love to spend the summer by the waves!

Thanksgiving

Johnny's 30th birthday was the day before Thanksgiving but we mostly celebrated with an early Thanksgiving dinner. He is a sucker for my pecan pies! Thanksgiving day was spent at DISNEYLAND! It really is the happiest place on earth. The weather was perfection! The lines were short. I am talking 30 min for Space Mountain and everything else was 10 min or less. The boys were wonderful. Johnny ended up carrying Jaxon most the day, but that was to be expected after not seeing him for almost a week. The baby was perfect too. He even slept through Fantasmic and the fireworks! My parents and sister were a great help rotating with the kids.

Daniel loved most of the rides after they were over. He was completely soaked on Splash Mountain thanks to Johnny using him as a shield, but luckily we had a change of clothes. Jaxon was not too keen on the faster rides and preferred Fantasy Land and Toon Town. Wesley screamed through Pirates of the Carribbean. Go figure. I hyped up the boys about the Haunted House and the Doom Buggies hoping they would not be scared...it didn't work!

The only downside...my camera batteries were dead! Boo hoo. My mom got some great pictures that I will post later. Here are some of us on Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters.

Thank you Jeanine and Kevin for the amazing time!

Happy Birthday Daniel

Daniel turned 4 on the 24th. It is so crazy to me to think he is 4 now. We had a fun day together hanging out and then going to Chuck-E-Cheese for a little party.

I found the fire fighter rain boots he requested along with a few other small things. My parents surprised him with a Hummer my dad was able to fix up. He LOVES it and said he is going to use it as his fire truck. Daniel is a great little driver and Jaxon is the perfect little passenger. Every couple minutes Daniel stops to "check the engine" like daddy does. It is so cute! Now he wears his fire fighter boots and hat while his fire fighter bear rides shot gun. The ax and other fire fighter tools ride in the back. For Christmas he requested a fire fighter jacket. I am now on the look out! Happy birthday Daniel. I love you so much.

What to do?

Daniel stated this morning "I AM NOT GOING TO PRESCHOOL!" It was less of a statement and more of a screaming hysterical fit in my face, in the trailer, out the door, sitting on the curb on the side of the road, etc. I was so mad I still have a headache over the ordeal. I am sure he does too.

I of course am trying to figure out why he would rather stay home than go to preschool. As of Friday he loved it. He has always loved it. They made Indian hats. He had a great day. His teacher always tells me how well he is doing. I have observed the class. Daniel has not said anything about a traumatic experience there. I ask him why he doesn't want to go and he tells me "because" or "I am done playing there" or "you just need to find me a new preschool." So really it is not that he doesn't want preschool, it is just that he doesn't want THIS preschool.

Do I force it? Do I force him to go kicking and screaming the whole half hour drive there? The preschool is in Lancaster so it is not convenient, but I realized I need the time with him away just as much as he needs the time away and the opportunity to learn. That is my only opportunity to shop with only two kids. That is my time to focus on Jaxon and talk with him without Daniel trying to tell Jaxon what to say and what he can or can not play with.

Anyone? Anyone? Help me out here please.

Jaxon Update

People have been asking recently how Jaxon has been doing. I forget to post about him because basically he is doing GREAT! We recently added apples back into his diet and he loves them. Apples don't sound like a big deal, but they are a BIG DEAL! Apples are in so many things. They are a cheap fruit so all juices, even 100% whatever juice has apple as the base. All fruit roll ups, dried fruit, fruit leather, etc. has apple as the base. Now that he is doing well with apple we have entered the world of prepackaged snacks! Yeah for convenience!

This picture was in January 2008, just before he was diagnosed. He was puking all the time and had a constant rash on his face and bottom.The poor boy was 13lbs at 7 months. He could not sustain himself through the night so we were awake with him multiple times per night. Look how far he has come. This is not the best picture but look at those chubby cheeks! This boy LOVES to eat! He weighs almost as much as Daniel and on Thanksgiving Day with a little help from some boots he will be tall enough to ride almost all of the rides at Disneyland!

We still avoid all corn, wheat, rice, dairy, eggs, and nuts, but other than that we are having great success treating Jaxon's EE through food exclusion without medication. He still drinks a little Vanilla Elecare (about 6-8 oz per day) but he is slowly weaning off that as well. We will try to introduce eggs next I think, just because he begs for them, and I hope that goes well.

I was told Wesley would have a 60% chance of having EE, but so far he is doing so well. He pukes if I overindulge in dairy products, but the blood test for the eosinophils in his system was normal. He is 10 weeks and the same weight Jaxon was at 7 months! He sleeps 8-10hours at a time at night. He nurses like a champ. Yeah for Wesley! Yeah for sleep at night! Yeah for food!