Walking for Autism

Chase and I are proud to announce that we will be Walking for Autism this year :-) Chase's cousin AJ has Autism & since Chase looks up to him & I look up to his mom (seriously, my Aunt Shawn is one of the best mom's I know) we'd thought it'd be a great day.

Ok- I'll be walking, he'll be riding along. . . but let's not split hairs shall we?

We've got a personal goal to raise $500 in donations & we're doing good! But we would still like you to give up the cash ;-)

Here is the link: https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=303526&lis=1&kntae303526=A0F6777A048245C998950C07DDE10D1E&supId=250662883

Much love!

ER should really be more sensitive!

Some of you may know that I'm a fan of the show ER. Started way back 15 yrs ago with a crush on a doc named Doug Ross (sigh) and now the show ends next week. There have been several episodes that can still make me happy (when Nurse Hathoway goes to be with Dr Ross in Seattle) make me cry (when Dr Green kicks it in Hawaii while "Over the Rainbow" plays softly) (sidenote, Mandy and I bawled for hours over that episode!) and even still creeps me out (when the mental patient kills Lucy and stabs Dr Carter on Valentine's Day.) I'm invested in this show & I'm not afraid to admit it.

However, today it hit a little bit too close to home for me.

Last night (which I dvr'd and watched today) is the 2nd to the last episode. And if you haven't seen it yet- don't keep reading. I'm going to spoil it for you. You've been warned.

The premise on part of the show was the docs and nurses were volunteering at a "camp" put on in the hospital for kids who've had Open Heart Surgery. . . sound familiar yet? Knowing this, I think cool- maybe they have something like that for real (BECAUSE I KNOW TV ISN'T REAL!) that maybe Chase can go to later on.

So today Chase and I snuggle up on the couch & within the first 10 mins I'm crying. But happy tears, there are full grown teenage boys (and I read online that they used REAL OHS kids for this episode) playing BASKETBALL & ROCK CLIMBING. I mean- they are tall, athletic & look like every other kid. And they're showing their OHS scars like it's nothing. I was so happy, it was great- basketball is something I didn't really have planned for Chase- too much contact. Now Chase is looking at me like I'm crazy, bc let's me honest- I'm crying and staring at him like he's going to be the next Larry Bird :-) But I manage to calm myself.

Then the docs start mentoring this loner kid who has decided camp is dumb and he doesn't want to play. Until they probe deeper (of course) and this kid busts out with "my best friend and I have truncus arteriosis (Chase's defect) and we were supposed to come together this year. but he had his conduit replacement (Chase's surgery) this year & he died on the table." WHAT- ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? This kid is like 14/15 yrs old.

That was it- the floodgates from hell opened up & I was done. Seriously- in one hour long show I went from "geez look at how great & normal Chase's life can be" to yet another reminder that we have such a long road ahead of us. And no one knows what will happen.

I know that can be said for every person who gets in a car, walks on the sidewalk, swims, blah blah blah. But right now, I'm wallowing a little in the idea that several time over the next 18 yrs my son will be put at great risk. I don't wallow in that idea often, but ER did not help today.

My friend, Ann, suggested I should write to ER :-) But since they're off the air next week- I doubt they'd respond. lol!

PS- the website for the camp on ER (I totally knew it was real) is:
http://www.campdelcorazon.org/proact.html
The campers have to be 7 so we have a ways, but guess who is totally going to go!

If you're wondering, the casts were worth it!

Just in case you're wondering- the first picture was taken when Chase was born.

The last three are from the day his casts came off. I think it's a world of difference!

Mommy's Lucky Charm

Did you know I'm Irish? Like a lot Irish? Got it from Mom and Dad's side. So OF COURSE I have to do it up right on St Patty's Day. I had three seperate outfits.

Sunday we went to the parade downtown with Kendall and her mommy. I wasn't much impressed, but they had a "Mr. Shamrock" that I am totally going to win next year. You get to walk in the parade and wave at everyone :-)

After the walk we had lunch and walked around State St. I must say, it was pretty sweet. The ladies did some shopping and I got to hang out, checking everything out.

On Tuesday Mom said no to the pub crawl I had planned. I mean, seriously- she wants me to crawl right??? So instead her and I went to her office and decorated the place. Very festive. Then I got to go hang out with Grandma and Grandpa Klett. They just got me a sweet new stroller so we had to take it out for a spin. Between mom and them I will be rolling thru Cherokee on a pretty consistent basis :-)

Did I tell you I'm on cereal now? Just like a big kid. Since I'm a little on the smaller side (don't worry, I'll grow) Dr. Yaffe thought we should try it out. Small bites at first, but I really like it and am getting the hang of this spoon thing. And after that I'm soooo thirsty, so I usually slam a bottle too! Mom says I'm feeling heavier already.

I'm also getting used to my shoes. I know I put up a big fuss at the begining, but now it's smooth sailing. I do something like to pull my feet out, but not as much as the begining. I even do leg lifts with the shoes AND the bar, which is super heavy. I'll be walking in no time with my strong legs.

That's all for now. I'll try to keep up better with these posts.

But it's hard out there for kid :-)

Chase

Ever had one of those days?

Last Friday (3/13) we had Chase's 4 month check up with Doctor Pagel. And it was not a shining moment for any of us.

It started out with Chase and I well rested from our night of sleep- or not so much. We took our usual 7am nap and woke about 8:30. Not too bad, appointment was at 9:30 so I figured we were making good time and got the office at 9:35 (not too shabby for a new mom!) Until I was told that our appointment was actually at 9am & we were 35 mins late. Cry #1

Being that our doc and her nurse Amy are saints, they fit us in anyways. Anyone who's tried to get their kid in to see the pediatrician and had to wait, I'm sorry, I was THAT mom who got squished in, causing everyone else to be late.

While in the appointment I go to strip Chase down for his weigh in & realize I forgot his blanket to keep him warm. Luckily I had a hoodie on and was able to wrap him in that. Unfortunately this meant I got to sport the white t-shirt and blazing orange bra look. Most stylish let me tell you. Cry #2

Chase is weighing in a 11lbs 6oz and is now 24". His weight is a less than what we're hoping for, not "worrisome" but something we're "looking at." Try telling me not to worry when he goes from 10th % to 1.25% on the scale. Stupid, stupid scale. Oh well, we have an appointment with the GI doc on Monday who will probably put us on cereal now. Cry #3

THEN- and I don't know how I forgot about this. We have shots, not one, not two, not three- but four. The saving grace in this is he no longer has the casts, so instead of the tush, they can go in his legs. CRY CRY CRY #4

It gets better. We now get to go to the lab to have blood drawn. But they can't find the vein #5, I forgot the bottle to calm him #6, but did find his blanket- excellent timing. And we have to wait for Theresa, the only woman who can draw his blood who's 15 mins late for her shift. We didn't care- we waited & now we're scheduling all labwork around HER schedule. :-)

It was a very loooooooooong appointment and thankfully Chase got to go hang out with his Dad that night, who reported that he was doing just fine :-)

Poor kid.

Got me some new kicks

Not sure if you've heard, but I finally got rid of those stupid casts this week! Very excited about that. Right after Nurse Robin sawed 'em off up went my legs and I couldn't stop staring at my toes. It's been awhile since I've seen those & man, DID THEY STINK! Mom tried to hold back the coughs and tears, but even I have to admit they were pretty rank.

Now, don't be too judgey about my skinny legs. I promise you in no time I'll have them up to par with my guns and the 6 pack abs I'm working on.

Speaking of the workouts, so after I got my casts off we went straight to get my new kicks. You can tell from the last picture how excited I am to have them. You would think, after all I've been thru, that someone would cut me some slack. Give a kid just a small rest to hang out, grab some toes, maybe try rolling over on my own (I totally rolled over with the casts on Monday btw!) But no, let's slap on some 1950's white shoes with a super cool (not really) purple bar. I am trying to adjust, but it hasn't been easy. By Sunday it'll be old news- and as an added bonus, the guy at the shoe store told Mom that most kids who wear these turn out to be really good snowboarders. I think he's kidding, but not sure.

It's been a long week- going to hang out and watch the Big Ten tournament this weekend.

Go Bucky!

Chase

PS- I have to wear the shoes 24/7 until I start to walk, then night/naps until I start school. At least that's "ballpark"- keep your fingers crossed it's less.

Crying It Out

Chase hasn't been sleeping so hot lately. At night- I should clarify because he sleeps just fine during the day. In fact- he takes exactly the "right" amount of naps.

It doesn't matter if he's "kept awake" in the evening, or if we let him sleep to his hearts content. Once we're home I put him down (doesn't matter if he sleeps thru the ride home or is awake as all get out) he goes right to bed and sleeps.

For about 2-4 hours. He is consistently awake at 2am, and then throughout the evening. It's fun people, let me tell you! What it's not, is FAIR. My peaceful, sweet little boy used to sleep right thru the night. In fact, after the first week or two at home, he did just that! Even when I put him in his own room, in the crib- didn't miss a beat.

Ever since his tenotomy (last surgery) his sleep schedule has been messed up. I hardly think that's a coincidence. Apparently there's a "phase" called the 4 Month Wakeful. Described as "a time when baby has decided the world is too much fun to sleep thru & is awake more often checking it out"- BOLLOCKS! Chase is neither fun nor checking out his new world.

Last night, I did try the CIO (cry it out) method for 30 mins. At 2:30AM- I'm sure my neighbors were thrilled. It broke my heart to do it, but I honestly couldn't think of anything else. On occasion he has CIO when I had to get ready for work & I just put him in his crib. He survived that just fine- but last night after 30 mins couldn't take it & popped in his nuk. Thankfully I think he was too tired to pop it back out like he usually does. Right or wrong, it got 2 hrs of continuous sleep & that was the most I could hope for.

During the day he is great! Smiling, chatting- almost rolling over! But at night he just isn't getting the deep sleep he needs. So frustrating. I'm pouring over the mommy websites, but it looks like it's just something babies go thru & I should count myself lucky that we had some good nights while we did.

Here's hoping for a good night's sleep!
Krista

Rainy Weekend

I am a posting fool today!

After our fun walk outside we took to the indoors for some serious Chase & Mommy bonding time. It was MUCH needed.

Friday we had gone to lunch with Grandma Lehman and her boss, then we went grocery shopping (although Mom raced thru that like Jimmy Kenseth Jr) then we went on our walk, I pitched a minor fit & went to bed :-)

Saturday was the best! We laid around all day in our pjs! Took some naps, did some tummy time, played on my toy mat AND tried out my new bouncer Aunt Michelle got for me. My feet don't touch the ground yet (which is probably a good thing) but Mommy bounced me up and down to get the idea. It's got really cool toys to play with & I tried to put each and every one in my mouth.

Afterwards we took another nap- you can tell from the picture I'm getting really close to rolling over. I think the weight from my casts help a lot. Don't worry though, Mom never leaves me unattended.

I love rainy lazy weekends. Now I get to go to Dad's to hang out with him. I think I'm seeing a lot of couch snuggle time in my future there too! Being a baby is pretty much the coolest thing ever!

Chase

My First Walk (ok stroller ride outside)

Friday was soooooooooooooooo nice! It was over the 50 degree mark, which in my world means Mom allows me to go for a ride outside. (She's still pretty strict, I will work on that with her.)

Mom loaded me up- hat, two blankets, a cover up & off we went! I guess before I made my debut she had a nice little routine down with morning walks. Clearly it had been awhile bc her trek around the neighborhood left her a little breathless.

But it was so nice to get outside! The birds! The neighbors dogs! Oh and the fresh air- which put me promptly to sleep, so don't ask about the scenery :-) I only woke up the few times we stopped. But it was nice to get out of the house, considering the weekend was filled with rain, rain, rain- but that's another post.

Hanging out

I've got a new favorite pastime. Well, actually two. The first is trying to see how much of my hands I can fit in my mouth. First I will try one side, then the other & then both! Not quite there yet, but I'm getting close. It makes the funniest noises and I drool everywhere- I think Mom thinks I'm teething (she went out and bought Sophie the Giraffe for me to gnaw on) but I'm not. I just think it's funny. In fact, my very latest is to pull my nuk out, try to put it back in (facing the wrong way of course) and then shove that AND my hand in my mouth. Good times!

Baptism Pics

Getting it done!

The Klett Men

Definitely not lacking in the looks genes :-)


Proud Parents!

Thank you Grandma Klett & Grandma Lehman for sending these really cute pics from the Baptism!