Tuesday, January 24th

Tucker had a very nice 4th Birthday yesterday. Matt and I went to school in the afternoon to bring blueberry muffins to his class. They read his Birthday Book that we put together and he colored, and then the class sang to him. They all had their tre…
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Thursday, January 5

Happy New Year! We all had a nice Christmas. Now I'm dreading taking the tree and decorations down this weekend. Just seems like a lot of work for a month's worth of enjoyment. Maybe I should just be one of those people that just keeps the stuff out…
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Sunday. December 11

Hello to all. Hope everyone is getting prepared and staying sane through the holiday season. I did all my Christmas shopping for Reece and Tucker a couple weeks ago in about 2 solid hours. Since then, nothing. As of now, nobody else has a gift. I th…
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Sunday, November 13

Hello all. I've been delayed in getting this up, as usual. This is long one, so I'll start with Tucker.

Tucker had a great Halloween party at school. I previously posted pictures of the parade they had in their costumes around the cir…
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Thursday, October 6

Nonna and I took Tucker to the fair this morning. He really enjoyed the rides and wasn't scared at all to ride them, even some by himself. He was not a big fan of the petting zoo. He seemed more fearful of the goats than the roller coaster. We al…
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Family Pictures

I posted some of the pictures from the photo session I did for the boys. Don't worry grandparents and great-grandparents, you will be receiving hard copies as soon as I get some printed out.

Saturday, September 24th

So, it's been much too long since my last post. We've all been busy. Tucker went through a rough 4-6 days of school, crying and yelling, and having to be dragged out of the car by his teachers. I started a "good boy chart" for him and put it in th…
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Tuesday, August 30th

School is going well for Tucker. He seems to enjoy it, and the drop off/pick up for me is going just fine. I was much more worried than I should have been. He looks very cute in his uniform (I posted a pic). I will be taking him for his first barber …
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Tuesday, August 23rd

Tucker went to school Monday to meet his new teacher and assistant. Tomorrow will be the first day at school (in uniform!). He will only do a half day 9-11:30 tomorrow, then a full day on Friday 9-2:50. I am nervous about the the drop off/pick up l…
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Monday, August 15

Reece has been very busy with appointments following his hospitalization, but they finally wind down this coming week. This round of seizures seems to have affected Reece more than the last ones. I still have not been able to get him to take a bott…
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Thursday, July 28th

Reece came home from the hospital last night after spending 6 days there recovering from seizures and pneumonia. They are not completely sure how these events occurred, meaning if they were related or not. The are two options. First, the seizure medi…
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Monday, July 4

Happy Independence Day!

Reece finally got over his pneumonia. It took a good 2 1/2 weeks. He is scheduled for an another upper GI exam tomorrow and swallow study on Friday to check for signs of reflux and/or aspiration that could h…
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Saturday, June 11

Reece had the sacral dimple ultrasound last Friday, and I heard from his doctor yesterday that it looked normal, so at least that is one less thing to be concerned with for now. He has been sick the last couple of days with a cold, a fever and conge…
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Friday, May 27th

Reece had a busy week, and has another busy 2 weeks to come. He had speech, physical, and two rounds of occupational therapy this week. Wednesday I took him for an appointment with Dr. Coldwell (metabolic disorders specialist) and he gave me his not…
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Tuesday, May 17

Tucker has been a perfect angel lately, making mama very proud. He has made his poo in the potty everyday for the last 7 days except 1, with only 2 accidents. He is so proud of himself. He has even made it through until morning with a dry pair of pul…
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Saturday, May 14

We sold our house!! Barring something weird happening, they have scheduled closing for June 15.

Wednesday, May 11

Tucker pooped in the potty last night!! I screamed and scared him I was so excited that it happened, but then there was a lot of yelling and hugging afterward. So proud of my boy!!!

Tuesday, May 10

Reece had a good checkup at the eye doctor this morning. His tracking was great, and the amount that his left eye wanders has dramatically decreased. The doctor was very impressed! He said that the eye/brain ability to work together is about as good…
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Monday, May 9

I took Reece for his post-surgery checkup with the urologist. Though Reece looks good on the outside, the doctor does have some concerns. The original urethral opening has opened back up a tiny bit (there was a 25% chance that could happen), so he is…
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Friday, April 29

It's been a while. Reece is finally feeling better. He was sick for basically a month, and it seemed to be allergies flaring up his asthma, and since he doesn't cough forcefully enough to get the congestion out of his lungs, it settles and turns into…
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Wednesday, April 6

Reece has been sick with pneumonia again, but luckily only had to spend about 48 hours in the hospital getting regular breathing treatments. He also managed to develop an ear infection on day 2 there, so that was just wonderful. We had his follow-up…
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Tuesday, March 22

Happy Birthday Dad!

Reece's visit to the cardiologist yesterday went well. He had an echocardiogram and an EKG and both were normal. He said he did not believe Reece's swelling in his lower arms and legs was caused by any heart issue,…
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Saturday, March 19

Reece's surgery went well, and he did not have to stay overnight. The dr said he did as well as he could hope for with what Reece gave him to work with, and was pleased with the result. He was unable to bring down Reece's left testicle, so that will …
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Monday March 14

Reece's surgery will take place on Wednesday morning in OKC at 9am. They said to plan on it being in inpatient procedure just because of his health, even though it was meant to be outpatient like last time. They said he will really have to prove it t…
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Monday March 7

I was finally able to get an appointment booked with the neurologist here in Tulsa, as well as the cardiologist and geneticist. Of course, all 3 of their openings were the same week, March 21, 23 and 25, in addition to having 3 previously scheduled a…
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Tuesday March 1

Reece has been doing amazing at home, and I'm so glad he seems to be unaffected by the seizures. We are working on trying to get appointments booked to see a neurologist. We were offered an appointment with a neurologist at Washington University in S…
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Wednesday, February 23

We are back from the hospital. Reece was discharged this afternoon. I have instructions to schedule an appointment with his pediatrician in 3-5 days, and to schedule and appointment with the neurologist for as soon as possible. They sent Reece home o…
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Update

All the missing pictures, plus some new ones, up back up!

Sunday, February 13

Longest Blog Ever!~

We all survived "snowpacplypse 2011" and are melting as we speak. We managed to stay really busy, though, even with 5 of 6 appointments being cancelled during the week of the 1st. The one we did go to that week was …
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Thursday, February 3

The website has been down for a could days, but it's up again (obviously). We have noticed, though, that any photos I pposted since December 27th disappeared for some reason. The blogs are all still there though. I'll eventually get the lost pictures…
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Sunday, January 23rd

Reece did well with his surgery on Friday. He had a little trouble keeping his oxygen level stable while in recovery, so we just had to stay a little longer than expected. He's not been quite as happy as after the last surgery, but he also had more d…
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Sunday January 16th

Reece will be having surgery on Friday to put a new set of tubes in his ears and have his adenoids removed. When I took him into the doctor on Monday to talk about another set of tubes, he, of course, had another infection. He did very well last time…
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Thursday, January 6

Reece had his 18 month checkup last week. He was 31 1/2 inches long and weighed 17 pounds. I am still trying to bulk him up after his 1 1/2 pound weight loss, and it feels like he is getting heavier. He got 1 vaccination and did well, as usual (he's …
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VIDEO

We have video again on the website! I've added a few and there will be more to come, both old and new stuff. Enjoy!

Monday, December 27

Christmas was overloaded with too many gifts again. Tucker still wanted to stop and play with each one, so we opened some and then waited until after everyone left to open the rest, since he was taking so long. Reece slept through the present opening…
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Tuesday December 21

I took Reece back to the doctor again yesterday and told her that he was not progressing, still uncomfortable and throwing up after his bottles, and not even eating his solids so well. Unfortunately, he has also lost over a pound in the last month, s…
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Friday December 17

Well, there's only a few more Christmas gifts to get tomorrow, and stamps to buy for the Christmas cards. Tucker and Reece are all taken care of, but some other people are still without. Hopefully I can get that done quickly and painlessly tomorrow. …
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Monday, November 29th

Reece is, of course, sick again. He has been really having a tough time taking bottles over the last week and a half (just when he got over the last bronchitis). He has really been fighting eating because he acts like it hurts, but his appetite is no…
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Sunday November 21

I took Reece to the appointment with the neurologist on Wednesday. He did not see anything particularly concerning. He thought overall that because he was progressing physically, although extremely slowly, that he showed no obvious signs of a neurolo…
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Wednesday November 10

DISCLAIMER**this is a medical information blog. If you aren't into reading medical stuff or find it boring, you may want to pass. The boys are fine, so it would otherwise be a pretty boring blog entry.

We went to the eye doctor yesterd…
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Friday, November 5

Reece is still getting over his bronchitis. The ear infection cleared quickly, but the lungs have not. I took him back to the doctor yesterday to be checked again, and they did an xray and said it h=wasn't pneumonia yet. Prescribed him a stronger an…
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Monday, November 1

Just gathered some older pictures off of mom's camera and dad's phone. Enjoy!

Halloween

We went with Nonna and Grandpa to the Summit Club Halloween party Saturday night. Tucker had fun dressing up as a football, decorating cookies, and going through, completely unscathed by, the haunted house, over and over and over.... Reece wore his …
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Wednesday October 27th

Both Tucker and Reece are sick. Tucker got it first on Friday evening, a fever for 2 days and then just crankiness with a dry cough. Reece got it Monday evening, another fever, only Reece hasn't been able to sleep the past 2 nights. He also started c…
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Thursday October 21

We have been staying in the house officially for the last 4 nights. We moved all the furniture in on Saturday and planned to stay the night, but our power went out (the whole neighborhood) at about 10:45 and Tucker freaked out, so we ended up driving…
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Thursday October 14

Tucker is still enamored with his pumpkins; the love has not faded yet. Reece has been requested to see a neurologist, and I spent most of the day trying to book an appointment for him to no avail. By the time anyone answered the phone, it was an an…
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Saturday October 9

Tucker has not stopped talking about pumpkins all week, so I took him and Reece to a pumpkin patch at a church today to pick some out. We got 1 for each of us that Tucker picked out and he LOVES them! There are some pictures up, but he was so excited…
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Wednesday Oct 6

Tucker went to the dentist this morning. He had an excellent report, but they told me to floss...whoops! He was thrilled to get his Halloween balloon at the end, as it was all he talked about from the moment we were called back.

Reece…
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Blog Spam

Unfortunately, computer programs have been leaving random postings in the blog comments. They usually do this to advertise a product or provide a link to a site that wants to sell you something. To put a stop to this, I've had to add an additional …
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saturday sept. 25

Thursday was the first day that Tucker told us about his day at school. Usually when you ask him what he did at school, his reply is "yes." This time he told us a detailed recap of his day. It's really cute because he seems to concentrate so hard on …
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Friday Sept 17

It's been a while, and we've been busy as usual. Reece had his 15 month checkup and got 4 shots, which he did not appreciate at all. Our physical therapist wanted him to check Reece's hips, and he thought they were okay, not dislocated or anything, j…
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Sunday Sept 5

Matt and I started painting the house yesterday. We could not go too far because they started refinishing the wood floors yesterday too, but we got the playroom walls and ceiling done. They got them all sanded and stained in one day. Then they will …
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Trip to Pennsylvania

We enjoyed our trip to visit Great Grandma and Great Grandpa this past week. The boys were spoiled by everyone, and liked getting to see their Aunt Yolanda and Uncle Bryan on the trip as well. Tucker wore everyone out with his wildness. He had fun pl…
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Sunday Aug 22

Tucker is still a crazy human being. I've learned that he understands the concept of being put in the corner, because he did it to one of his toys. He was trying to get some toy people into an airplane and they weren't cooperating, so he took one per…
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Friday August 20

Reece has been called a girl twice this week. It usually doesn't happen quite so often, so Matt has said I need to cut his hair. I DON'T THINK SO!!

Tucker has started getting slap happy. He likes to hit me in face now, and I can't find…
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Wednesday Aug 18

Reece went to Oklahoma City last Thursday to see his pulmonologist. He thought he sounded well and I told him he had not been working as hard while breathing lately. He told me to stop giving Reece one of his nebulizer medications for 1 week, and if …
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Wednesday Aug 11

Reece did SO AMAZING at therapy today. He lifted his head up and lowered controlled repeatedly for about 2 minutes, and he did that routine 3 times. Afterward he was exhausted, so now he's napping. Good boy!

Tues August 10

Reece went to see his audiologist and ENT yesterday. They put him in a sound booth at the audiologist to see what level he was really hearing at now (by watching reaction to sound), and she seemed impressed with his results. She also tweaked his hear…
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Thurs August 5

Well, it only took 6 months, but Tucker has successfully used the potty for a second and third time. I am bound and determined to make it happen this time. I say forget the "wait till they're ready method." If Tucker had his way and his pace, he woul…
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Tues August 3rd

Ah, the simple joy of having both babies nap together. Hoping that August will not be as busy as the last. July was Reece's busiest month so far, as he had 19 appointments to attend. Poor Tucker.

Monday, August 2

Reece continues to make great progress. I am trying to transition him to milk from formula, giving him half-and-half bottles warmed up (he doesn't like cold milk, or cold water, or cold anything for that matter). He has really been holding his head u…
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Being 2

Tucker has launched himself full throttle into being 2. He's got it all: whiny, indecisive, grumpy and irrational. It's like it just clicked this past week and he is playing his new role with all he has to give. It's a battle of stubborn over here be…
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July 23 - Dr. Visit

Took Reece to the doctor today to have his strange leg "rash" checked out. They did a blood test to check his platelet level. The doctor was concerned that it was a strange presentation of bruising, and asked if he bruised easily or had been sick re…
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School - Thurs July 22

Today was his last day of summer school. He enjoyed getting a balloon and an ice cream sandwich at the end of the day. That poor sandwich couldn't handle the 110 degree heat index...what a mess. We stopped at Sonic afterward to get some apple juice a…
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Thurs July 22

Reece was weighed and evaluated today by Sooner Start. He was 15lbs 14oz. I was hoping he had hit 16lbs, but close enough. He has been eating baby food so well, and not wanting quite as much formula. I tried to give him real milk the other night an…
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New Skill

I have yet to decide whether his new skill is actually a good thing (especially in the carseat). Reece has started lifting his head and shoulder up and away from the back of his highchair and carseat. It's great that he is starting to use those muscl…
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New Shoes

I went to WalMart to try to find the tiniest baby shoes I could find for Reece. Along the way Tucker spotted a pair of Thomas the Train shoes that, it was obvious, we weren't going to be leaving without. I did not realize until we got home and put th…
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smarty pants

Tucker impresses us everyday. He can now count to 30 (or 20-10 as he sometimes calls it). He knows all his upper and lower case letters and can identify them. He seems to have a good memory for associating numbers with a specific color. In one of his…
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New Stander and Stroller

Reece "tried on" a medical stander and a new wheelchair-stroller today. He fit well and looked comfortable. The stander will allow him to have some vertical time and gets him to put pressure through his feet. Hopefully it will be beneficial in severa…
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1 Year Old Checkup

Reece had a good report at his checkup. He weighed 15lb 4oz and was 28 1/2" long. Good news, doctor said he did not hear a heart murmur this time. Maybe that has been resolved. He got 3 immunizations and had blood drawn to check his thyroid function.…
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Nanny's House

It was so nice to get to take Reece to visit Nanny. She was thrilled to see and get to hold him, and they "talked" to each other a lot. He did a lot off wiggling and rolling for her to show off. Tucker enjoyed Nanny's walker a lot, along with the opp…
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Trip to Louisiana

Tucker did surprisingly well flying this weekend. He was calm on the flights in and out of Houston, and slept on the ones in and out of Monroe. Reece did well on all but the last flight into Tulsa. Had a screaming spell for about 5 minutes that I cou…
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Eating

Reece is doing great eating baby food. I finally got him to a point where he was comfortable eating in his car seat. Unfortunately, he is so long that he will grow out of that soon, so I bought a portable high chair seat that he sits really snug in …
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First TV Show Banning

We have found the first tv show that Tucker is no longer allowed to watch: Ni Hao Kai Lan. Who would expect a show about a Chinese girl and some animals that talk about their feelings to incite violence in Tucker, but it has managed to. "No Tucker, y…
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1st Birthday

We had Reece's party yesterday and all went well. He even got to have a lick of cupcake frosting, since I stuck his foot in one of the cupcakes while we tried to blow the candle out. I've put a few pictures from it up, but mom took most of them, so I…
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Head Strong

Reece did some really great head lifting while on his tummy this afternoon. He lifted and held it up for about 7 seconds several times. I think he was just showing off for Nonna.

Big Boy Bed

Tucker has graduated to his daybed now, due to the acrobatic skills he demonstrated yesterday. I put him down for a nap before therapy was coming to the house. About 15 minutes later they came, and 5 minutes after that Tucker appeared in the living r…
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Giggling Baby

Reece laughed for the first time yesterday during therapy. There have been questionable incidents of laughter over the last couple weeks, but it was made official yesterday. His occupational therapist was bouncing on a medicine ball with him on her l…
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Trip to St. Louis

Tucker seemed to have a really good time playing with his cousins, and it was a nice getaway for everyone. The trip overall went smooth, until we stopped for lunch on the way back home. Reece's feeding tube fell out in the bathroom at McDonald's. I e…
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Good Eats

Reece has officially gone 3 weeks without having to use his feeding tube for meals!!! We still have to use it for "venting" purposes (code for burps) so I guess we are really not any closer to getting the tube taken out, but it's progress none the le…
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Last Day of School

Today was Tucker's last day of the regular school year, and he had to miss it. He got sick for the first time last night, with a 102 fever (he's actually had an ear infection before but acted normal and never had a fever, so I'm not really counting t…
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Latest Dr. Appointments

Reece went back to OKC on Wednesday to see the pulmonologist. He thought his lungs sounded good that day and we were to continue with his twice daily breathing treatments and come back in 3 months. We spent Thursday afternoon and night with mom and d…
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Eye Doctor

Reece had his second ophthalmologist appointment today. He said his vision is improving, and as he begins to catch up more developmentally his vision should improve along with it. So no glasses for now. I doubt one of his therapists will be pleased w…
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Surgery Went Well

Sorry, I got a little button happy with that last blog entry and never got any info entered before i hit "save". Anyways, Reece did very well in surgery. It took about 2 1/2 hours to complete and he was quite awake by the time we got back to recovery…
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Surgery Went Well

Surgery Is On

Reece got the green light from his pediatrician to have surgery tomorrow. He's been going through a growth spell I assume because he has been wanting to eat every 2 hours for the last week, and has not been able to sleep through the night anymore eit…
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Surgery....Maybe

Reece is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday, but he may not be able to have it. We were back at the doctor's office yesterday because his edema returned in his arms and legs. The doctor did another chest xray to rule out a heart problem and saw nothing…
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Sleep

Reece started sleeping through the night about 2 weeks ago. So did I!

Reece's Blood Testing

We were finally able to get Reece's blood drawn on Tuesday at the third lab we tried, with the 6th person attempting. This is the lab we always go to when his pediatrician needs something, so I'm glad the pulmonologist had no problems with us switchi…
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Chatterbox

Tucker talks...a lot! He's got all his letters and colors down solid now, and likes saying little short sentences. He spouts off everything he eats and expects you to say it as well, repeating the words over and over until you do it. He likes singing…
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Sick Again

He's managed to get pneumonia again for the 4th time, and also has an ear infection accompanying it this time. I think I caught it real early though, and he's already on antibiotics and extra breathing treatments. He was already scheduled for a month…
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Pulmonologist Appointment

Reece saw the pulmonologist in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. He did a sweat test to check for cystic fibrosis (negative, but we knew that already) and took xrays and was not real impressed with his lungs, especially his right one. He prescribed him 2 n…
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The New House

We have had it officially for 1 week today and the progress seems to be moving fast. I put up some before pictures of it, and then added some showing the progress that is being made. It will look so beautiful when it's done!! Look under the "Matt an…
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Bronchoscopy

Reece had his bronchoscopy yesterday. They found that he has mild tracheomalacia, which is where his airway collapses. They said most times kids grow out if it by about a year old, and that it is not bad enough to require any further treatment. They …
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Parent-Teacher Conference

I had a meeting with Tucker's teachers at school so we could all go over his progress, behavior, etc. They said they just loved him, and he loved everyone in the class. He likes to give hugs and kisses to everyone. He likes to play dress-up in a blaz…
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Rolling Over

Reece rolled all the way over to his tummy for the first time on Thursday. He only did it one time that day, and did not do it again until tonight (Saturday). He gets his arm stuck underneath himself once he's on his tummy so he needs so help to stra…
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Saturday, April 3

Reece got his hearing aids on Friday. So far he is not very fond of them. They make a static sound when they rub up against anything, and since he is laying on his back most of the time, every head turn causes that noise. Also, his ears rub against m…
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Kicking the Habit

Tucker has officially been off the pacifier for about 2 weeks now. One day he went to sleep for a nap and there wasn't one in the bed, and he did fine, so I threw them all away and never looked back!

Dr. Appointments

Reece is recovering from being sick. We saw the doctor again on Thursday and he wants to send Reece to Oklahoma City to see a pulmonologist. We are going to see his surgeon next week to have his trachea and esophagus evaluated and, if necessary, he m…
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Roll Over

Reece did it this afternoon! He rolled from his back onto his side and stayed there for about 20 seconds. Even though it's not a complete roll over, if he can stay on his side for a little while it will be good at getting his knees/hips in better ali…
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Learning Over Spring Break

Tucker is off from his school this week for Spring Break, but he's been learning at home. He knows his alphabet (usually) and we are working on colors now. He seems to be a big fan of yellow at the moment, as it's the only color he consistently ident…
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Working Out

Reece tried really hard to roll over tonight. He can't seem to get his right arm to follow his body over, so he almost makes it to his side and then flops backs. At least he's trying to be active even though he is sick and doesn't feel well.

Teeth

Reece's two bottom teeth started poking through this last week. He was not too pleased. He has been eating great! Yesterday he took 4 whole bottles by mouth, and he has already taken 4 today as well. He has been enjoying his "real food" too, preferri…
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hearing aid appt

Reece is set up to have his appointment for hearing aids on Tuesday. He weighed 13 pounds even yesterday!

Hearing Test

Reece had his follow-up hearing test on Friday to see if the tubes have improved his hearing. They did improve slightly, from moderate-severe loss up to moderate loss, but he will still require hearing aids. I'm now in the process of getting him sche…
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Wednesday Feb 24

Reece is scheduled for his follow-up hearing test after the tubes were put in on Friday. Hope that goes smooth (fingers crossed) and shows some improvement in his hearing. Sooner Start came out to work with Reece today. He did really well holding his…
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Tucker Loves Reece

As you can see by all the pictures, Tucker really seems to love Reece. He likes to call him baby and asks to hold him often. They like to snuggle together, but I think one of them enjoys it a little more than the other.

8 months old

Reece turned 8 months on Friday. On Wednesday he was 25" long and weighed 11lbs 12oz. We were able to get him to sit and hold his head up for about 5 seconds during our session with Sooner Start. We got him supported with the boppy pillow and then le…
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Party Time (and Potty Time)!!!

We finally had Tucker's 2nd Birthday Party today, rescheduled from when Reece was in the hospital. He enjoyed his "Yo Gabba Gabba" themed afternoon, especially cupcake time!

On an unrelated note, Tucker used his potty for the first tim…
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Back to His Old Self Again

Tucker has regained his composure now that the whole family is back home again. He was rattled by Reece and I being away for so long. He had his 2 year old checkup and was great. He weighed 29lbs.

Home

We came home from the hospital late Saturday afternoon. Reece's swallow study did not show that he was aspirating his food immediately when taking a bottle. That is good news, but unfortunately means that he just is easily susceptible to pneumonia. W…
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hospital

We are still here. Reece is scheduled to have a swallow study done tomorrow to make sure he is not inhaling formula into his lungs when he eats, thus causing the pneumonia. The upper GI he had on Monday did not reveal anything, but this test focuses …
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Packing on the Pounds

Sooner Start came to work with him on Wednesday and they weighed him...10lbs 12oz!!! He's really bulking up lately. His medication and formula have been tweaked again, so hopefully we'll make progress. We eliminated iron supplement and added an antih…
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Weight Update

Reece weighed 10lbs 3oz at his surgery yesterday!!!Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Haircut

I gave Reece his first haircut on Wednesday night. He cooperated. I took a couple pictures, but since he can's sit up/hold his head up alone, you can't really tell that I did much of anything. I cut off his lovely mullet in the back and trimmed the l…
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My weird lanudry-loving baby

Tucker has a very strange habit. He loves to help me with the laundry, but he has an ulterior motive. He helps me transfer the laundry from the washer to the dryer, but he likes to put each piece of wet laundry into his mouth and suck/chew on it befo…
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Ear Tubes

Reece's surgery to put the tubes into his ears went well yesterday. It only took 10 minutes and we were back to see him in recovery. The doctor said there was a lot of fluid in there, so hopefully that was the primary cause of his hearing difficultie…
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Erica Plays Doctor

I forgot to mention this on the last blog. I had the pleasure of replacing Reece's feeding button myself this past week. It seemed very loose one day so I checked the water in the catheter and it was low. I filled it back up and then checked again an…
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Therapy

Reece's physical and occupational therapy has been going quite well. He is making progress, showing interest in toys (especially anything really shiny and mirrors) and is even trying to reach out to touch things a little. He is drawing his legs up to…
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Christmas

Tucker had a great Christmas. He still wasn't really into opening gifts yet though, but did like to eat breakfast. We opened the first gift for him and he was so enthralled by it that he had no interest to really open any others. So he played and we …
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Ear nose and throat doctor

Reece saw the ENT today. He is set up to have surgery on January 7 to put tubes in his ears to hopefully drain the fluid and help him hear better. If any damage to the inner ear is suspected (because of his genetics) they will do a CT scan to see if …
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Numbers

Tucker has really picked up his vocabulary lately. He know his numbers to 10 (though he has a tough time saying 1 and 7). He knows several animals and their noises, and likes to talk about baby Reece too. He even says thank you and "oh no" which is r…
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Urologist Visit

Reece and I saw the urologist that came over from Oklahoma City on Friday. He said that it will take 3 surgeries to correct Reece's genitalia problems and fix his urethra. Those surgeries wont start until he is 9-12 months old.

Doctor Visit

I took both boys to the doctor today and they both have ear infections in opposite ears. Reece weighed 9lbs 3oz, not as much as I thought. He has felt quite heavy lately and looks so long. The doctor wants his meal volume increased so I guess the day…
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Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and ate way too much! Tucker took a tumble on the concrete after our meal and busted his lip. He got a little puffy and his nose was scraped, but he recovered quickly. Reece has taken 3 full bottles over t…
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Monday - Opthalmologist Appt

I took Reece to the eye doctor this morning. He said that physically his eyes seem to look fine (no obvious barriers to vision) but that he does already have some poor vision. He is fairly near-sighted, only slightly better vision than I have if you …
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Friday

Well, we have been back at the hospital this morning having yet another mickey button put in (for those of you keeping score, this is #4!!!). I noticed that the tissue that was cauterized off at his last surgery was coming back, and rubbing can cause…
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Thursday

Reece took 2 full bottles yesterday!! One he took while Sooner Start was here working with him so they were quite impressed. The other was last night. His doctor visit on Monday went fine (still 8lbs 8oz so no apparent weight gain from the previous w…
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Sunday

Reece took an entire bottle feeding tonight for the first time...all 66 mLs!!!! Tomorrow we go to the pediatrician, Wednesday he has occupational therapy, and Thursday we have an appointment with the geneticist.

5 Months

Reece is 5 moths old today. At his appointments on Monday he weighed 8lbs 8oz and I think I heard 23 inches but I'm not real sure. He goes back for a regular pediatric appointment Monday so I will get the official stats then. He seems to be doing qui…
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Haircut

I gave Tucker another haircut last night (sorry no pic yet). He's feisty, so this time I just had to get in the bathtub with him and go to town while he played.

Today's Appointments

Reece saw his endocrinologist today and that appointment went fine. She wants to have his thyroid level checked next week at this appointment with the pediatrician, and we are scheduled to meet with the pediatric urologist from OKC on Dec. 12. Reece …
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Sooner Start Evaluation

A nurse and occupational therapist came to see Reece today and evaluate him. They were shocked by how uncomfortable he is and assured me that this was not normal for children with feeding buttons. The nurse is going to go with me to his next pediatri…
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Post Surgery

Reece did well with his surgery. He came out of anesthesia very quickly, not like last time where he was out for about 3 days. The Dr. said his testicle was "high riding" so it had to be sutured down in place, so he has an extra area of stitches besi…
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Attitude

Tucker has developed a little bit of an attitude lately. Maybe we're hitting "the twos". He got his first report from school where "happy" and "playful" weren't the only things circled. Tuesday he was "out of sorts". Today was a little better, "happy…
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Surgery

I'm taking Reece to the hospital tomorrow morning at 5:45 for surgery. He is supposed to stay overnight. Hopefully that is as long as we we'll have to be there for recovery. It is typically an outpatient procedure but the doctor wants him to stay lon…
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Hernia Surgery

Reece is scheduled for surgery to correct his hernia on Friday. The surgeon will also bring down his right testicle while there. He will not do the left because they would prefer to give it more time to come down on its own. The right one is only bei…
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hernia

Well, he does have a hernia. He is scheduled to go in for an evaluation by the surgeon on Tuesday, and then he will schedule surgery. The nurse thought his mic-key button looked and fit fine, just that it was going to leak if he was getting full on t…
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doctor visit

Reece had his 4 month checkup today. He is 22 inches long and weighs 7lbs 13oz. We have been having some leakage problems with his mic-key button recently (since he started taking more from the bottle) so we are scheduled to go see the surgeon tomorr…
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eating

Reece has had a good run taking his bottle this past week. He has been very consistent with how much he takes at each meal. Today has been the best so far. He is supposed to get 60mL (2oz) at each meal, and today he took 22,26,25,26, and at his last…
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Reece's Room

Reece's furniture finally came in and was delivered yesterday. We got it all set up so now he has a room! I still have some stuff to hang up on the walls to decorate so it's a little bare. I was hoping maybe Reece would like his bed better than his b…
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Back Home

Reece is back home. He is still on antibiotics and we'll have to give breathing treatments if needed. They did another upper GI on him. We were hoping to get some answers to his feeding problems from it but everything came back normal. The test s…
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Back in the Hospital

Reece was admitted to the hospital last night around 9pm.

Reece's regular doctor had us come in Monday evening to see Reece. He did another chest x-ray which also didn't show anything but he didn't like Reece's distressed breathing so…
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Saturday

We took Reece into the doctor this morning. He was having some congestion, coughing, and his heart monitor kept going off last night. They prescribed him an albuterol nebulizer to try and clear his lungs that I give him every 4 hours. They did a ches…
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SMILE!!!!!

So I know it's not huge, but Reece smiled for the first time today, not smirk, but truly smiled. It made me feel so happy that he did that even though he seems so upset all the time. I thought he might not do it for a long time since he doesn't have …
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No More Highchair

Tucker is using a booster seat now and sitting at the table like a big boy. He is also more fond of using his fork to eat. He seems quite pleased with himself!

Monday September 28

We are still battling a grumpy eater. I'm not sure this change in formula has made much difference. I have had to go back to feeding him on the automatic pump because he fussed so much during meals that you couldn't get any food down his tube due to …
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Mic-KEY Button & Audiologist

I took him back to the hospital this morning to have a new feeding port put into his stomach. It does fit a lot better and doesn't bend when you hook the extension tubing up to it. So far he has not settled down during meals but maybe he is still sen…
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Dr. Update

Reece is going to to have a new Mic-KEY button put in tomorrow. I took him to the surgeon on Tuesday because it seemed like it was really bothering him and they said it was too big. They froze off some more tissue around the opening and told me to co…
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Dr. Appt and Sooner Start

Reece's appointment with the pediatrician went alright. He was hoping Reece would have gained a little more weight (he was 6lb 10.5oz), so we've done a little tweaking to try and increase his feeds. He had blood drawn and his electrolytes were out of…
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Haircut

I gave Tucker a haircut yesterday. He looks like he won't sweat quite as much, but I do miss all that beautiful hair. I'll have to take a picture soon.

9/14

We're headed back to the pediatrician tomorrow for another checkup. I'm currently on the third type of formula to try to make Reece happy. I switched from a formula for prematurity to soy formula and the rather constant crankiness stopped, but it was…
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Our Trip to the Surgeon

Reece made a visit to his surgeon today. His feeding tube was replaced with the MIC-Key button (the chemo port-type thing). I can already tell you I hate it. It's so much more difficult to burp him with and the extension tubing you use to hook up to …
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Another Bite

Tucker was bit again today at school. This time at least it was on his hand and not his nose. The teacher I talked to said there were several of them at the slide, so she didn't know what could have happened to provoke someone since they were all pla…
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cardiologist appt

I took Reece to see the cardiologist he was referred to. He did an echocardiogram and an EKG and we brought an x-ray. He saw nothing wrong with his heart, any previous issues either resolving or there weren't really any to begin with (since it would …
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9/5

I gave Reece his first "tummy time" today. He didn't like it (Tucker never did either), but he did lift his head up an turn it from one side to the other. I put him on a play mat and let him look at a mobile with lights and sound, but he really could…
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Helping Out with Little Brother

Tucker seems like maybe he is growing more interested in Reece, still not too pleased with me though. Today when Reece would cry, Tucker would try to put the pacifier in his mouth, or get his own blanket and try to put it in the bassinet for him. The…
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9/4

I took Reece to his appointment with the endocrinologist today. Not much happened. She talked to me about his hypercalcemia. She said it was familial, so if any family members are reading this and you have or know of someone that does/did have hyperc…
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9/1 School

Tucker had a lot of fun at school today. He played hard in the sandbox. His teachers said he was putting the sand in his hair, so they had a real fun time trying to get him cleaned up. I found a bit in his hair at his bath tonight. He also enjoyed du…
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9/1

Reece had his first visit to the pediatrician yesterday. He weighed 6#2oz. He thought he looked well. He will be coordinating with all the other doctors for his care. He seemed most concerned with Reece's hypercalcemia as that can be problematic if n…
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8/29

Things are well. Reece is really a good baby, just fussy when he eats, but otherwise very easy going. Tucker on the other hand is a wild man. We had our first temper tantrum today. He is sick for the first time too, so the combination of that and th…
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Home Life

Today was better than yesterday. Both Reece and Tucker were in better moods. I'm more comfortable with his equipment today and will hopefully be able to fall into a routine. I scheduled all of Reece's follow-up appointments today. He has to see his p…
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Nursery School

T started back to school today. He had fun playing basketball and in the sandbox. At open house on Tuesday he showed his talent for tidiness by cleaning up after other children and vacuuming. He began the open house by doing a puzzle and quietly obse…
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Home!!!

Well, it's been interesting. Tucker doesn't seem to be impressed with being a big brother. He gently pet Reece's head while we were all on the couch, but then tried to sit on him. This is going to be a pretty intense juggling act for a while just bec…
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Thursday August 27

Reece arrived home at 1:15pm today!

Basketball

Tucker is developing his basketball skills early. Check out the video of him getting his dunk on at Great Grandma's house.

Wednesday, August 26

Reece is still on schedule to come home tomorrow. Erica is staying all night at the hospital doing what they call "pre-discharge". It's basically Reece and her in a room all by themselves. Erica has to perform all the care on Reece that we will be d…
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Tuesday August 25

We got pushed back a day, so the plan is to bring him home Thursday. He had his MRI at 11 this morning and is currently having his pneumogram. I will go back up at 8 to give him a bottle. Matt and I have equipment training tomorrow to learn how to us…
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Monday August 24

Well, we are still on the path to going home Wednesday, assuming we hit no speed bumps. Reece is scheduled for a busy day tomorrow. He has an MRI in the morning, his hormone shot, and a pneumogram (an advanced way to track his respiratory pattern ove…
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School Open House

Tucker and I will be going to nursery school open house tomorrow to meet his teacher and familiarize ourselves with the class. I know he will enjoy going back on Thursday!

Sunday August 23

Reece came off his nasal canula oxygen today. I fed him 3 times again and he did about the same as the last couple days. They must be pretty serious about sending him home soon because they told me to bring up his car seat for his car seat test and a…
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Comments

Sorry to everyone. The ability to leave comments has been unavailable for the last few days. Everything should be working again!

Saturday August 22

Not much change. I fed him 3 bottles today at 8, 11 and 5. He took 12mL, 19mL and 18mL respectively, so that's pretty good. I don't want to jinx it, but his doctor told me today she hopes to send him home this coming week, potentially Wednesday!

Friday August 21

We took our class today to learn how to use Reece's feeding tube and replace it if it were to come out. Hopefully the tube will be replaced with something called a Mic-Key button (like a chemo port) in a couple weeks, so we wont have to worry about …
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Thursday August 20

Reece began taking a bottle again. As long as he is breathing at a good rate, his doctor said he can try to nipple-feed. I fed him at 11 and 5 and each time he took 15mL of the 45mL he should be getting, so the rest went into his feeding tube. He did…
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Wednesday August 19

They started feeding Reece 30mL every 2 hours on the pump, with the actual feeding taking 20mins to go through the feeding tube. I think tomorrow they will cut it down to 45mL every 3 hours, which was his previous schedule. I washed his face, chest a…
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Tuesday August 18

Reece had his IV removed today since he reached his full feeding amount. He is getting 14mL/hour. I will find out tomorrow what the plan is for getting him down to eating at his regular times and, hopefully, when he might be able to start nipple-feed…
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Monday August 17

Thanks to everyone for your comments and well-wishes in the blog! Lots to say today thus far. His regular doctor is back and on the move. His head ultrasound yesterday revealed no changes since the last one. No additional fluid in the ventricles, no …
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Sunday August 16

Apparently Reece has turned into quite a cranky boy. I think he's just hungry since he isn't getting the normal amount of food. Hopefully he's not hurting. He is getting 8mL/hour now and weighs 5lb 10oz, but he still looks puffy from water weight. He…
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Dinner With Friends

We went with Tucker and had dinner at friends house tonight. He really seemed to enjoy playing with their daughter and kept them both busy. I haven't seen him that tired in the car on the way home in quite a while. Glad he had fun.

Saturday August 15

Increased Reece's feedings to 7mL/hour. The plan for now is to increase this amount by 1mL a day until he reaches the full feeding amount, which for him would be 15mL/hour. After that they will decide how to proceed at getting him to eat in intervals…
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Friday August 14

They began to feed Reece again at a rate of 5 mL/hour over a 24-hour period. You can really tell that he is still hungry because he is getting about 1/3 the amount he ate before the surgery. When I hold him he roots around for the pacifier, and when …
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Thursday August 13

Well, they have had to completely stop feeding Reece now. The feeding tube in his stomach is still leaking, even while receiving food on the pump at such a slow rate. For now he will be relying on IV nutrition once again until they can figure out wha…
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Wednesday August 12

Happy Birthday Reece - he's 2 months old today. He has made the grand tour of bedding in the NICU. He was put into an open crib today, the last of the 4 bedding options they have. His feeding tube in his stomach is leaking around the site, so they ha…
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Tuesday August 11

Reece received his 2-month vaccinations. I can't believe he will be 2 months old tomorrow. His feeds were increased from 20mL this morning to 30mL this evening. He is also getting breathing treatments every 6 hours I believe to help with his wheezing…
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Monday August 10

Not much change to report today except that they started giving him 10mL of milk in his new tube every three hours. He's off morphine and on tylenol, and has developed a little yeast infection in his diaper area. Other than that he was a more alert t…
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Sunday August 9

Reece's blood transfusions must have worked pretty well because he came off the ventilator at 7:30 this morning. He is on the nasal canula again at 30% oxygen. He also pulled the IV out of his hand. That is the second IV he has pulled out, in additio…
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New Comments Feature

You can now leave a comment on any blog entry! Feel free to ask questions too and we'll answer them in the comment section. To leave a comment simply click the "Leave Comment" link after the blog entry you want to comment on. Then just type in your …
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Saturday August 8

Still on the ventilator. The doctor said he is very anemic and was low on blood (which you could tell by his coloring), so he had a blood transfusion at 3:30 today and will have another at around midnight. His color is already looking pinker. They ha…
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Friday August 7

Reece is still pretty sedated and also on painkillers now. They are still trying to ween him off the ventilator but it is taking longer than they thought. They should be able to start giving him pedialyte in his new feeding tube tomorrow, then gradua…
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Surgery

Surgery went well today. His recovery from anesthesia has been very slow. As of 10pm he was still very sedated so they have not given him any pain medication. He has been having episodes of bradicardia and oxygen desaturation so the nurse and doctor …
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Wednesday August 5

Today was Reece's due date! He had the upper GI done today and it did reveal a problem with reflux. He will have the surgery tomorrow to put in his stomach feeding tube, and the fundoplication as well. In addition to helping with reflux, the "fundo" …
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Tuesday August 4

Reece has been scheduled for surgery on Thursday at 1:30. He will be having a gastrostomy tube placed in his stomach (for feedings) and a fundoplication (for reflux). That procedure wraps the top portion of the stomach around the base of the esophagu…
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Monday August 3

They put a catheter in today to do a 24 hour urine collection for analysis. When I went to give him a bottle at 5 tonight I used the new method that seemed to work yesterday. He did well again, with an episode at the very beginning that he recovered …
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Sunday August 2

Reece did well with his feedings today. His nurse was able to get him to take his whole bottle without incident at 8am. She showed me her technique and I copied it for his 2pm meal. He had one episode at the very beginning (which didn't require oxyge…
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Saturday August 1

Another good day in the family room. Reece did well and no real changes to report.

Friday July 31

Reece is 7 weeks old today. He spent the day with me in the family room. I got to do everything the nurses do for him, except for programming the pump he receives his meal on. If only Tucker had been strapped to my leg and whining it would have been …
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Thursday July 30

Reece was back in the old NICU this morning. His time in the nice new area didn't last long. I talked to his doctor this evening and she is not pleased with his bottle-feeding progress. He has been practicing for 3 weeks now and has progressively res…
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Wednesday July 29

Reece was moved into a whole new room today. They are in the process of building a new NICU at the hospital and they have created an admit room with 8 beds near the delivery rooms. This is where babies will go while mom is still in the hospital befor…
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18 Month Checkup

Tucker went to see Dr. Hendricks today for his checkup. He was 33 1/4-inches long (80th percentile) and 25Lb 12oz (55th percentile). He got a Hepatitis vaccine, which he didn't like, and we talked to the doctor about his little brother.

Tuesday July 28

Reece had a lot of blood drawn today for all the lab work the doctor wanted to perform. His nurse today at 5 said some of the results were already back but that some of the others would still take awhile. Not really much change today. The blood draw …
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Monday July 27

Reece had his Hepatitis vaccine while I visited him this morning. Surprise, surprise...he didn't like that. Tomorrow he will have blood drawn to check some levels, such as calcium, vitamin D and some others as well.

Sunday July 26

Reece's feedings increased to 40mL today. I got to breastfeed once and bottlefeed once. He did alright at each, having only one bradychardia episode at each. He stayed more awake at his bottle than he ever has before. I hope to keep this one-of-each-…
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Saturday July 25

I got to try breastfeeding Reece again today. He did fine but did not actually get any milk, so I guess saying he did well doesn't mean much except that he was comfortable trying. The doctor increased the dosage of his diuretic, still trying to get t…
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Friday July 24

Reece was moved into an open bassinet today, surprising me when I showed up this morning. I thought he had been moved to another location again, but as I got closer I could see the little sign with his name hanging from the bed. I was successfully ab…
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School

Today was Tucker's last day of summer school. I really think he enjoyed it and will miss it a lot over the next month. He starts the fall session at the end of August and will keep the same schedule of Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

Thursday July 23

I got approval from Reece's doctor today to try to breastfeed, but he has the meet the same criteria as bottle feeding, so his respiration rate has to be 60/minute or under. Unfortunately today his rate wasn't low enough again to try it. He was taken…
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Wednesday July 22

I got to feed Reece one bottle today. His respiration rate was still a little high at the time, but it seems to fluctuate greatly so we went ahead with it. He did okay, only one bradychardia (heart rate drop) at the beginning. I am going to ask his d…
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Tuesday July 21

Reece had another blood test this morning to make sure everything looked okay after his little incident over the weekend and the adjustments they made. Things looked normal. Dr. told me he has a mild case of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, so that is som…
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Tucker's Friend Kitty

I took Tucker over the see Sneezhok (spelling?) the cat today over at Mom and Dad's house. He was smitten and refused to leave the poor cat alone after that. Eventually we just had to leave because he got a little obsessed with chasing kitty around.

Monday July 20

So we seem to be making a habit out of the one good bottle feeding, one bad, because it happened again yesterday. Dr. added a potassium supplement to his regimen of medication. His weight last night was 4Lb 2oz.

Sunday July 19

Another down and up day. Went to see him this morning and give him his 11:00 bottle. He took a decent amount but really struggled to keep his heart rate and oxygen saturation up. When I went back at 8:00 tonight for the next bottle I tried burping hi…
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Saturday July 18

Sorry no picture today. Reece was put back on his nasal canula today. When I went up to give him a bottle at 8:00 tonight they said he got cold and his oxygen saturation dropped. The nurse did a blood gas test that only showed his hemoglobin was low.…
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Friday July 17

They are going to start feeding Reece a bottle once per shift, so twice a day for non-consecutive feedings. I gave him both today at 11:00am and 8:00pm, and he took 16mL and 12mL respectively. I have to say it is the most frightening thing feeding hi…
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Thursday July 16

I got to feed Reece his 11:00 meal. He really seemed like he wanted the bottle, but once he took it he had to work too hard to get the milk out and would tire quickly. I tried for about 15 minutes, then he had a heart deceleration so I stopped and he…
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Wednesday July 15

Reece wore clothes today for the first time. He didn't seem to care. The speech therapist fed him a bottle again this morning. She said his ability to nipple is about as developed as a 32 week old baby. He is 37 weeks today so he is about 5 weeks beh…
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Tuesday July 14

Reece was moved again today to a nicer location in the NICU. He is by a window again so it's bright. The Dr. stopped his caffeine today so we will see how breathing responds to that. I got to give him a bottle today for his 11:00 meal and he took abo…
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Monday July 13

So I was mistaken when I said earlier that the diuretic Reece was being given was to rid him of extra calcium. It could be used for that, but he is receiving it to try to remove excess fluid that is still in his lungs. He was visited by an eye doctor…
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School

Tucker really seems to enjoy school. His teachers say that he does very well and is happy there. He especially likes playing outside in the water, as evidenced by the pictures they gave me which I added to his gallery.

Sunday July 12

Happy One Month Birthday Reece!! He celebrated by getting his nasal canula removed. As of now he is doing well breathing completely on his own. He has been having a little trouble holding his body temp, so they cut back his bottle feeding to once a d…
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Saturday July 11

They started reducing the pressure on Reece's nasal canula to try and get him ready to start breathing room air without assistance. He will get two bottle feedings a day now, assuming he is in a good enough state to tolerate (good respiration and hig…
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Update July 10

Reece was moved off of the "critical" aisle of the NICU today. Unfortunately he was put back in the far back corner where it's pretty cramped quarters. He has been holding his body temp well in his isolette. His feeding were increased to 1oz today. A…
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Thursday July 9

Big day today!! Reece was taken back off of CPAP again this morning and put on the nasal canula. So far he has responded really well so hopefully he will stay off this time. Also had a surprise when I went to visit this evening...he was moved into an…
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Wednesday July 8

Reece's weight tonight was 2Lb 15oz!! His feedings increased to 26mL today. They eliminated the help breaths on his CPAP today and he responded well. He only had one little apnea episode today, and the nurse said that his heart rate didn't even drop …
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Tuesday July 7

Reece's feedings were increased to 25mL today. He has started to have slight heart decelerations while he is getting his milk. It never gets low enough that the alarms sound, but he gets down to about 100 beats and then comes back up on his own witho…
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Monday July 6

Reece had an iffy morning, but turned into a good afternoon. He had a high number of apnea episodes this morning while I was there which was a little scary to see, but the nurse gave him a booster of caffeine and when I went back around 5:00 she said…
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Building and Golfing

Tucker spent some time today building with blocks Nonna got him. There is a picture of his first work in the gallery. Daddy also tried to do some golfing with Tucker, also pictured. I have decided that Tucker needs to make Tiger Woods' daughter his g…
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Sunday July 5

Reece's PIC line was removed today. His feeding were increased again to 23mL. They were going to try to take him off CPAP again today but changed their minds. Not sure when they will try again.

Saturday July 4

Uneventful day. Reece's feedings were increased again to 21mL. I was mistaken about his weight when I wrote that he weighed 2lb 13oz. He is still at 2lb 9oz. The nurses vary how they weigh him, some taking his weight with his CPAP and some without, s…
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Friday July 3

Reece was back on CPAP this morning when I went up to see. The nurse said he was working real hard to breathe so he needed to go back on. His doctor increased his feedings again to 18mL and said they are adding some powdered mix to the milk that will…
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Thursday July 2

Doctor is pleased with his progress and increased his meal amount to 15mL (1 tablespoon) every 3 hours. His weight last night was 2lb 13oz so he has put on a little. Reece got his first bottle feeding today. It didn't go too well. I think the nipple …
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Wednesday July 1

Reece's feeding increased again to 12mL, a whopping 2.5 teaspoons every 3 hours. The dr. also wants to try nipple feeding him once a day if he seems interested in taking a pacifier and his respiration rate is simultaneously stable. His doctor said we…
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Update June 30

No real changes today. They lowered the setting on his CPAP so he doesn't get as many "help breaths". I got to "kangaroo" with him again this morning for 30 minutes. The Dr. increased his feeding amount again to 9mL every three hours. His last weight…
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Preschool

Tucker had his first school incident. He was bitten on the nose by another child. His nose is red and a little swollen but I think he'll be just fine. Hopefully this will curb his desire to bite us.

Update June 29

Another good day. Reece did so well with his feedings yesterday that his doctor upped his amount from 2mL to 6mL every three hours. He started taking Reglan, medicine to help out with his acid reflux. I heard some test results from the endocrinologis…
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Update June 28

Today was a really great day, both for me and for Reece. His nurse gave him him a 2mL feeding this morning and he tolerated it, so he had 2mL more every 3 hours. She said he had some acid reflux that was a bit uncomfortable for him but that it was mo…
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Update June 27

Reece tried to eat today but it did not go well. His little tummy did not tolerate the milk. He was given 3mL of milk in his feeding tube and most of it came back up. His nurse said they had to suction it out of his mouth and as it came up, as well a…
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Update June 26

Another steady day. Reece got a new snuggly blanket thing I am calling Uterus 2.0. It is supposed to keep him feeling like he's still in the belly. There is a picture of him halfway in it I put up today, but he was halfway unwrapped so I could change…
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Update June 25

Reece had a good day today. No changes. He seemed a little uncomfortable tonight with the straps that hold his oxygen mask on and ended up pulling his feeding tube out a couple times as a result of waving his hands around his face. A nurse cleaned of…
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Update June 24

Reece had a good day today. The adjustment they made to his CPAP yesterday was giving him 10 air bursts per minute, just a reminder for him to breathe. He has not had any more apnea episodes since the 2 yesterday and his breathing does not appear to …
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Update June 23

Reece had an up-and-down day today. His morning was normal. I spoke with his doctor and she wanted to up the pressure on his oxygen a little. He is still on room air 21% oxygen. She also said she would like to try feeding him some breast milk tomorro…
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Straws

Tucker finally figured out how to drink from a straw instead of just chewing on it. So if we ever think he will behave well enough to take him out to dinner, now we don't have to bring along a cup for him!

Update June 22, 2009

Reece was back under the therapy lights today for his jaundice. Unfortunately he has not gained any weight in the last week, but he did not lose any either, holding steady at 2 pounds 11 ounces. The nurses said that wasn't uncommon since he isn't rec…
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Update June 21

Reece had a PIC line put in today that will give him all his IV fluids he needs for the remainder of his stay. They took all but one of the lines out of his belly button. We were hoping to learn how much he weighed today, but the nurses don't weight …
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Update June 20

Reece is no longer receiving light treatment for his jaundice. We got to see him this morning for the first time since last Saturday without his goggles on. Unfortunately he never opened his eyes up for us. Hopefully he will when we go visit him this…
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Tucker's New Chair

Nonna bought Tucker and baby Lazy-Boy chair at Pottery Barn the other day. He really likes crawling into it and will sometimes sit and watch some television, preferably golf or Yo Gabba Gabba. I haven't photographed him in it yet but when I do I'll p…
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Update - June 19

When I got to the hospital this morning I had a wonderful surprise...no more ventilator!!! They said he still could have to go back on if he didn't respond as well as they would like, but it was a great step in the right direction. He had a few more …
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Update - June 18

Reece had an EKG today to look at his heart and see if the valve had closed that the doctors were concerned about. The number of heart decelerations today has decreased tremendously. He is still on the small blue light for his jaundice, but overall…
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Update June 17, 2009

I only got to spend about 30 minutes with Reece today before being asked to leave, but he did not have any heart decels while I was there. His heart rate held steady at 140 beats per minute or higher the whole time. That was promising. He will recei…
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First Day of School

Tucker had his first day of school yesterday. He enjoyed it very much and played well with the other kids. When Erica went to pick him up he had a broom in his hands and was helping the teachers clean up the play room.

Status

Reece is doing better. The medicine they gave him to close the valve will take a few days to work but they said they already saw improvement.

Status

We spoke to the geneticist today and he will run a series of tests to find out if Reece's chromosome translocation is balanced. Balanced is good. If it's not balanced that means there may be missing information on the chromosomes.

The…
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Status

Reece has been doing ok lately. He is still on the ventilator and they believe he may have some fluid in his lungs which is causing difficulty breathing. Tomorrow he will see the cardiologist, endocrinologist, and geneticist. Hopefully tomorrow will …
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Reece is Being Moved

They found a heart issue with baby Reece and he is being moved to St. Francis for further monitoring and possibly surgery.

Reece Matthew

Reece Matthew was born today at 2:29pm at St. John hospital. He weighed 3 pounds 5 ounces and is 17.5 inches long.

Tucker's Got Skills

Tucker has mastered his shape sorting toys and his wooden puzzles. He likes to repeat putting all the pieces in their proper places over and over again, and of course, he claps each time he completes his task.

Swimming

Tucker made his first trip back to the pool this year. He enjoyed floating on his new pool raft and playing with a ball for about 45 minutes or so, and then he was over it. His pool time concluded with a beer bratwurst and a few bites of moms coconut…
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Talking

Tucker officially said his first word, dog, on May 1. Since then he has said hi, bye, daddy, and he tries really hard to say flower. There are a lot of other noises coming out of his mouth but I cannot say what they translate to yet, if anything.

Talking

Still no official "words", but he is saying a lot. He almost says dog, otherwise there is a lot of babbling to himself. I hope he knows what he's saying.

The Fireplace

Tucker has now learned how to safely get down from the fireplace. Unfortunately, now he is able to climb up onto his large play table so now we have two areas to watch him fall from.

The Park

Last week was beautiful, so I decided to take Tucker to the park to play. He didn't really seem to care too much about his inaugural park visit, so we only stayed 20 minutes, took a picture on the slide for proof and then went to Sonic for beverages.…
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Climbing

Tucker has learned how to climb up onto the fireplace hearth to sit, quite proudly I might add. He cannot get himself down though.

The Beach

Tucker really liked his trip to the beach. He liked playing with, and occasionally eating, the shells. He would go straight to the water when you set him down in the sand. We will be getting sand out of all his nooks and crannies for days to come!

Mobility

Tucker performed a new skill on Saturday night. For the first time ever, he stood himself up without assistance. Usually he uses a person or furniture to pull himself up to a standing position, then walks around. On Saturday, he put his hands on the …
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Sickness

Tucker was officially sick for the first time last week. He had his first fever and made a trip to the doctor just in case. The virus cleared up in about 3 days and he is back to normal now.

Pictures

New Christmas and 1st Birthday pictures added!!!!

Birthday

Tucker had a nice 1st Birthday party last night. He napped while we ate, then we woke him for cake and gifts. He really enjoyed his cake. I think we would have eaten the whole thing if we had allowed. He got some nice presents and also got to visit G…
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Walking

Tucker took his first real steps on January 2. He took about 5 steps to the middle of the living room and then plopped down. He does not do it often, only a couple times a day, but his confidence is improving. He usually likes to walk while carrying …
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Christmas

Tucker had a great Christmas and got too many toys. He did enjoying plating with each of them as they were opened, opting not to play with the wrapping paper.

Tucker's Got Skills

Tucker can: clap his hands, wave goodbye (sometimes), give high-fives (on his own terms), dance (when the mood is right), open and shut doors behind him, put his pacifier in someone else's mouth, stand unassisted, walk with your help, and make a mad …
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Growing

Tucker had a great Dr. checkup on Nov 4th. He is 20lbs 13oz and is 28 1/2" long. He graduated to a big-boy car seat last week as well. He finds it quite comfortable for naps.

Mobility

Tucker is really on the move. He cruises around on the furniture (and Ralphie). Yesterday he took a few hand-assisted steps with mom and dad. He finds standing on his own pretty funny as he likes to laugh and clap his hands while he does it.

Teeth

Tucker finally had two bottom teeth poke through.

Traveling Baby

Over the last two weeks, Tucker traveled to Monroe, LA to see his Nanny and then to Hermitage, PA to see his great grandma and grandpa. Everyone was very happy to see him especially his great grandma and grandpa who had not seen him in person.

Pictures and Video

New pictures and new video today!

Crawling

Tucker has finally begun to crawl. He does not travel long distances but can get to where he is going after enough tries.

Sitting

Tucker is getting very good at sitting. He cannot quite get into the sitting position by himself, but if you set him down, he will sit and play all by himself. He is not yet crawling, but we can tell it will be soon.

Eating

Tuck has been eating just about anything Erica will feed him. Erica likes to make Tuck homemade purees of veggies and fruits. So far, Tuck has enjoyed peas, broccoli, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, carrots, and cereal.

Pictures

9 new pictures today.

Video

Matt finally got around to adding videos of Tuck to the website. They are located under the Video tab in the left menu. Enjoy!

There are also six new pictures.

Airplane Ride

Tucker took his first plane flight two weeks ago to get Matts new car. The flight was only one hour, but he fell asleep 15 minutes before the plane took off and woke up 15 minutes after it landed. I don't think he ever knew he was on a plane.

Eating

Tucker ate almost a full meal of peas today. He loved every bite.

Eating

Tucker has eaten his entire bowl of cereal the last 2 days and really enjoys it. Tomorrow I am going to try to feed him some of the baby food I made for him.

Swimming

Tucker went for his first swim this last weekend at his Nonna's house. He seemed to enjoy it very much.

Talking

Tucker has been talking quite a bit lately. He has figured out how to move his tongue to make new sounds.

Pictures

5 new pictures today.

Pictures

3 new pictures today.

Pictures

3 new pictures today

Laughing

Tuck laughed again this Sunday while Erica was making faces and sounds.

Tucker in St. Louis

Tuck took his first weekend trip to St. Louis, MO. He spent all day Saturday with Matt's aunt Liz and Matt's sister Alison while Matt and Erica went to a golf tournament in Columbia, MO.

Travel

Tucker took his first trip to Louisiana to visit his Nanny. He did quite well, sleeping about halfway on both legs of the trip and keeping his fussiness to a minimum. He had a good time visting his great-grandmother and being held by her. He also enj…
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Laughing

Tucker laughed out loud for the first time on Sunday after his Christening. It was probably the most adorable sound ever made. Unfortunately, he has not done it again since.

Thumb Sucking

Tucker has found his thumb. Most of the time he just sucks on his entire hand, but twice now he has done a full on thumb sucking.

Sleeping

Tucker slept 9 hours last night.

Sleeping

Tucker slept 8 hours last night and went to church this morning and slept another hour. Hopefully he'll get 8 hours again tonight.

Visit to Matt's Mother

The weather was so nice today we took Tuck on his first visit to see Grandma Brown's resting place. There are 3 new pictures of the occasion in Tucker's album.

The Silent Assassin

Tucker has perfected his awesome ability to throw up all over you without you even noticing. Twice now Matt has been holding him and he threw up without ever making a sound. You are holding him, everything is going great, you look down and are cove…
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