Lest

Lest you think after my last post that we're not finding some time for fun too...here are some random fun things from last month:

Caleb often decides that he likes to help Carson out with his sense of style. Here is one example I caught on camera:


Carson pretty much said, "I can dig it. I can still eat my blanket...and that's what matters." He really loves to eat his blankets.


Speaking of eating stuff.... Carson turned four months old! Yikes!! He is just soooooo much fun!! He is a rolling madman these days. Rolling from his back to his tummy and back again. He also got to try his first food. The kid is seriously digging this food thing. He absolutely loves it. Chris was feeding him one day and walked away for just a minute. Carson decided to take things into his own hands....



Here is a video of him trying his first rice cereal:

I love how excited Caleb was to cheer him on and help feed him. They really do love each other and I think it is so cute!!!! Since my last post about Caleb's tonsils, the medicine started to make him pretty sick. But he was in too much pain to not take it. He was pretty miserable and puking and stuff. Have I ever mentioned how much I love to clean up puke? Every time it was just after Chris left. Figures. Anyway. Not the point. Even when Caleb was at his sickest, he would go lay down by Carson and just hold his little hand. It was just too cute.



We've been having a bit more rain these days. Really, any rain is a bit more than we've had for a long time. But Chris and Caleb had to go out and enjoy it while Carson and I enjoyed it from the front door:

Hmmmm, could this be related to my last post about being sick? :)

Month O' Owies

I'm not going to lie. This month has been awful. And yet wonderful. And yet horrible. And yet great. Not sure how that works.

Part of our fun has been all the fun owies.

CARSON

We finally got in to see the kidney specialist and Carson was then put on an antibiotic for some testing on his kidneys. The antibiotic made the poor boy sick--diarrhea (and the raw bum that goes with it) and vomiting and just kind of fussy. Then we got to take him to the hospital for the actual VCUG. Thank goodness Chris came with me to hold him down. I wanted NO part of it.

And we had a momentous occasion this week. I actually took Carson BY MYSELF to get his shots. This day has been 3 1/2 years in the making. I pretty much hate needles. They tend to make me throw up or pass out...yeah...I'm pretty much a wimp. Say what you want. At least I'm a self-aware wimp.


CALEB
Caleb has had a bit of a rough month.

The normal:
Bruises and goose eggs like this:

You know. The falling-off-the-kitchen-chair-hitting-your-face-on-the-floor bumps and the running into the wall bruises. Caleb usually has at least one good bruise and/or bump on his forehead at any given time. One heals just in time to get another.

He also sliced his head open and we were seriously debating stitches. Luckily, it didn't come to that. But I also realized one more important failing as a mother. Caleb hates band aids. I thought all kids loved band aids!?! I thought band aids made everything better!?! He sliced his foot open and I tried to put a band aid on it and he would have none of it. Where have I gone wrong?!?!

The strange:
One day he randomly puked during his nap. But he seemed totally fine before and after. Then three days later he woke up and seemed like he had a temperature. I knew he was sick when I turned on the tv so he could watch Diego and he jumped up to dance like he always does to the Diego song. He quickly said in a sad little voice, "I don't want to dance to Diego this time..." and laid back down on the pillow. By noon his temperature was up to 103 and stayed that way despite drugs and he was just miserable. We had to keep giving him baths to keep it down since the alternating drugs were not working. Anyway, the next day the fever was just as randomly gone and there were no more symptoms.

The ugly:
His eye was red and swollen for about a week and a half before I finally took him to the doctor. It ended up that he had a sty in the lower lid of his eye. We had to do antibiotic eye drops (that he did not really appreciate) and warm compresses for awhile. While we were at the doctor for his eye, I mentioned that Caleb had been sleeping like 14 hours at night and still taking long afternoon naps and snoring really bad the last few months. The doctor was like...uh yeah...that's not normal! and we were referred to an ear nose throat specialist. Turns out, it was his tonsils. They were pretty much ginormous and causing sleep apnea. So we started with the fun of going to get more blood drawn for some lab work. Can I just say how much I enjoy having Caleb on my lap and having them draw blood from his arm. That's twice this year. There's my wimp factor again.

So yesterday we did the tonsils. If I never have to do something like that again, it will be too soon. I felt so bad doing that to Caleb. He did awesome...I felt horrible.

We went early yesterday morning. We got to wait in the waiting room for a long time. Caleb and Carson entertained each other.


I love how much they love each other and how much fun they have together.

We finally got called back and Caleb got to sport an awesome tiger gown and bright red socks. His favorite color, so he tells me often these days.



Even more waiting. Caleb was SOOOO good. Nice and calm and patient. We read lots of stories.



They finally came and got him and I just wanted to bawl. I didn't want him to have to go through this. When he was in the recovery room, they called us back and again, I just wanted to bawl when I saw him. His little face looked so miserable. He was being so good though.

The nurse said he didn't even cry and that he was by far the best patient she had had for a long time. Most of the kids in the room were screaming and crying. Caleb was just chill. He would wake up and we would get him to drink some juice and then he'd go back to sleep. We took him home and he did a lot of sleeping on dad

And a lot of sleeping on the couch.


It seriously broke my heart to listen to him sleep. He kept coughing and moaning. And sweating a ton. But when he was awake, he was in good spirits and gave us lots of smiles, talked quite a bit, and drank a ton. But he never really moved off the couch at all.

Until he got a dose of Weatherholtz. It is the best medicine apparently. As soon as they stopped by, he jumped off the couch and played with his toys and was being his usual crazy little self. He even yelled goodbye several times to them from the front door as they were leaving. And since then, he's been great. This morning he was all smiles and asked for his brother to sit by him



And yes, he even did his usual dance to the Diego song



As I am typing this, he is back to entertaining his brother



Anyway, after a small fortune being invested in doctors, specialists, hospitals, and drugs...hopefully we are all on the mend. We are extremely grateful for the good news we received this month about Carson's kidneys. We're thankful that we were able to get Caleb's tonsils out so that he can sleep better and how well he seems to be recovering. And I'm especially thankful that Chris is such an awesome husband and dad to help me out with so much this month!

And finally, when asked to recount his version of events this month, here is what Carson had to add to the details above:
.
Nuf said.

An Awesome Day

Today was such an awesome day. For the last four months (and several months of the pregnancy before that) we've been trying to find out what is going on with Carson's kidneys. We finally got some answers today and we feel like it is such a miracle.

We took Carson to the hospital for a VCUG today. Sweet boy didn't even cry. I've been dreading it and Carson made it look easy. Carson doesn't have any reflux (urine going back into his kidneys). They think the muscles are not strong yet and so they're being lazy. So the kidneys fill up with urine to capacity and then the muscles finally contract it out--thus causing his kidneys and the funnel to be enlarged. But the kidney specialist did not think it was a big deal and that he will just outgrow it as those muscles get stronger and contract the way they are supposed to. So for now, unless anything else develops, we just watch it. We'll go back for another ultrasound when he is eight months. I even got to take him off the daily antibiotic he was on which was causing some vomiting and lots of diarrhea. Overall, I am sooooooo excited and soooooo relieved!!!!!

As a disclaimer, she did say that it is still possible that the enlargement is because his kidneys are obstructed (different than reflux), which would be bad. But all signs point to that not being the case. Both kidneys would have to be obstructed, which is fairly rare. And they would have to be obstructed about the same amount because his kidneys are both growing at the same rate. That kind of obstruction is even more rare.

This stuff and some other stuff have made for kind of a crazy week. I'm not ready to go into detail on a public blog yet. But suffice it to say that we have seen miracle after miracle after miracle and that we feel truly blessed. Good things have come and are still coming for the Dial Family. I can feel it! :)

My Happy Baby

Well, we took Carson to the kidney specialist yesterday. The doctor told us that one of three things is causing his kidneys to be enlarged that I'll sum up as ok, worse, and very bad. Or something like that. She was encouraged about a few good signs though. I'll spare you all the medical terms and details, but the bottom line is that we are going for more testing next week to see if we can narrow it down. Carson will have a VCUG next Thursday. Basically that is a test where they use a fun catheter and fill his bladder full of fun stuff and use x-rays to see how much of it goes back into his kidneys. Let me tell you--I'm so looking forward to that fun test! After we get the results, we can go from there. Meanwhile, he is on a daily antibiotic to make sure that any urine flushing back into his kidneys is not infected as that would be bad.

Poor Carson. He is just such a happy go lucky, smiling, giggling, talking kid lately. He just doesn't know what's coming! Here is a video of our fun boy from a few weeks ago (that I've been meaning to post for awhile. Better now than never, right?!?)

The kid seriously loves to talk. He'll talk to his blanket, his toys, his brother. It doesn't really matter. If he is awake, he is babbling and giggling and we LOVE IT!

New Toothbrush

Does anyone have a new toothbrush I can have? I won't be using mine anymore. It accidentally went flying through the air.


Who left the seat up?!? Not cool.


p.s. Chris--stop laughing

p.s.s. Seriously. Stop laughing.

Research

Sometimes I miss school. I actually like to do research. But don't tell.

I've decided that I still do a ton of research. See? That college degree paid off, right? I mean...I don't mean to brag, but I think I am one of the top researchers in the world. At least in quantity. Not in quality.

I have so much scientific research going on each and every day. The whole process--beginning to end. Hundreds of times per week. It's exhausting really. But fun all the same.

Ask a Question
Here are some examples of my past research questions:
Why didn't Caleb take a nap today, but not yesterday? Why did Carson sleep through the night last night, but not the night before? Why was Caleb such a good eater tonight at dinner, but not last night? Why did Carson laugh so hard when I did that yesterday, but not today? Yeah, and why does Carson think Caleb is so funny, and not me? (Yeah, yeah, I know. None of those research questions are phrased in a way to make them good research questions...blah blah blah. You get the idea though.)


Do Background Research
I search the internet, read all the books, ask all the people who will give me the time of day. You know. Stuff like that.


Construct a Hypothesis
Construct a hypothesis? About a thousand hypotheses for each research question. This is really my strong suit. Let me give you some examples:

Perhaps the reason Carson slept through the night last night is because he wore his lucky blue shirt and snazzy yellow socks that day. Perhaps the reason Caleb was a good eater tonight was because he did three somersaults and played with the green train instead of the blue. I know. Genius, huh?


Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment
Meet my guinea pigs.

Caleb (testing another hypothesis of mine about how he will be in charge of his own bag for church if it is a bag he is excited about...so far it is a working hypothesis...)

My other guinea pig, Carson

(seen here sporting the gansta pajama look)

They’re the best kind of guinea pigs really. Although I used to really like the guinea pig my friend four doors down would walk to my house on a leash. Anyway. My poor guys are tested on hundreds of times per day. I wonder what the animal rights activists would think of my experiments on my poor boys? I expect a line of picketers outside my door any day now.


Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion
Yup. It was definitely the lucky blue shirt and the green train. Carson better wear that blue shirt every day and Caleb better keep up on his somersaults and play with that green train. No blue trains. Sorry.


Communicate Your Results
Yup. I communicate them all the time. Poor Chris.

Then, a couple days later, I realize my hypothesis was incorrect and no longer holds true. Back to the next hypothesis. Don't worry, that too is communicated to Chris. Poor Chris.

My latest conclusion? Kids will do what they want/need despite my trying to analyze everything and figure them out. I can make all the adjustments I want...but I've decided that the kid is going to decide ultimately how things are done. And I've decided I need to just sit back and enjoy the ride more--analyze less. At least I decided two things, right?

It’s kind of like in that movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, where the girls convince the dad it was his idea for her to go to school. Same principle. Sometimes my kids let me think it was my idea when things work out.

Research for school was so much easier. It was usually a bit more clear-cut. Not quite as fun though. And at least I still use my brain every day, right? In fact, my brain usually hurts from thinking so much by the end of every day. Which leads me to my next hypothesis....

The Three Amigos

Here are some random pictures of the three amigos.

These are some random bedtime pics.






Poor Chris...he's a great place on which to stand...and sit:

What?!? I was not laughing to encourage such things!





Chris also makes a great tunnel to crawl under:


And a nice jungle gym to climb on:


What up.




The Cheneys bought a motorcycle and asked Chris to go pick it up. You guys know you're in trouble, right?!? I've heard about motorcycles every day since. :) You see, Chris had one that he sold before we moved down here thinking he would buy a new one once we were here. But once we moved here, well, his wife wasn't so excited about him riding one around all the crazy drivers and traffic here on a regular basis. So he has yet to replace it. But of course, Chris had to come by and give Caleb a little ride and take some pics before parting ways with the bike. Thanks for the fun, Cheneys!



And do you see all that fun stuff in the background? I thought about calling that paving company and thanking them for all the big trucks, tractors, etc. It provided HOURS of window and porch watching entertainment that week. Good times.



Hangin' on the couch:



Not sure...gang signs?



Caleb loves to hold Carson:



Love his little smirk:



Lovin' life with the three amigos.

Happy Easter!

Is it really already Wednesday night? I've been meaning to do this since Sunday night. My how time flies.

Lots of Easter festivities this year. Of course we dyed eggs.



Not sure who had more fun...Caleb, me or Chris. Or maybe Carson:



Nice sarcastic pose by Chris:



Our finished products:

Notice how there are no pink or purple ones? It's not because there are lots of boys in the house. It's because someone didn't read the instructions all the way through to see not to put vinegar in the red one. Ok it was me. So we did without the pink this time.

We have been swapping babysitting on Friday nights and it has been pretty much, well, AWESOME! This was our Friday to watch the kids. We had fun and had some friends in and out as well for treats. We baked a ton this weekend for all the different events. We made two of these:

And a bunch of bread, queso, and Easter sugar cookies. Lots of fun. But few pictures. That picture is just for you Dip (a.k.a. Kip D). Not a fancy picture like the ones you guys have, just the leftovers from one of the yummy cakes. :)


Saturday we went to some friends' property for some more fun. And fun it was! They had
tractors:



Go-karts



A big trampoline



and an awesome Easter egg hunt



Caleb also got to smash his first cascarones (eggs filled with confetti). He wouldn't smash it on my head...only dad's. Good boy. :) Here is Chris showing us the remains.

If you look close, you can see it all in his hair and on his shirt.

And don't forget the dogs that Caleb chased around for a lot of the time. We had so much fun!!

Then Saturday night we had some friends come teach us a game. Good times again.

Sunday was the best. Here is a little video of my favorite parts of Sunday morning.



Chris didn't have meetings this Sunday. I forgot how nice it was to have him around all Sunday morning. We got to go to church all together. Except I forgot my lesson manual so we dropped Chris off and zoomed home to pick it up. :)
Here are the three amigos ready for church:



And last but not least, we got to spend Sunday evening with our good friends. Great Easter dinner and great company. Thanks, guys!!

I LOVE holidays with the kids. I'm not sure who is more giddy--Caleb or me.

Confession Sessions

Let's just say...Chris was a bit to hard to handle in his growing up years. His poor mom and anyone from Preston would probably laugh and say that's a major understatement. Anyway. After we were married, Chris would tell me these hilarious stories. Except they are only funny now. Looking back. So every once in awhile...we have these things call confession sessions with Chris's mom where Chris tells her some of the crazy stuff he did that she never knew about. Don't worry...they both are laughing. Now.

For example, once Chris was grounded but his mom asked him to go to the store. So what did he do? He took the car, picked up some of his friends who were at a dance he wanted to be at and went to "flip cookies" (as they say in Preston--I've always heard it as donuts...but that's not the point.) Then they decided to hit a snow bank (Huh? What? Yeah. I know.). It was a big snow bank, so they knew they needed plenty speed. They got back as far as they could in the parking lot, floored (the 318, so I'm told) the '72 Dodge Dart and went no where because that fierce power gave no forward momentum on a sheet of ice. Finally the wheels caught and they were off. At about 45 miles per hour, they hit the snow bank and went airborn. The car flew over the road and finally skidded out of control over the far curb and just about went through the front of some poor old lady's home. With their adrenaline pumping and nerves wracked, their only intention was to get out of there. They sprayed snow all over that poor old lady's house. As they were driving away, the car seemed to effortlessly shift to the right...then to the left...and then just as suddenly back to the right again. They pulled over to see if the road was especially slippery. Road conditions hadn't changed. But for some reason, the car would not drive straight. Chris took the friends back to the dance and headed home. He walked through the door and his mom remembered that she needed one more thing from the store and decided to run get it herself this time. Chris went to bed hoping she wouldn't realize that the car effortlessly shifted from left to right. To left. The next time they chatted, his mom commented on how slippery the roads were...how the car kept shifting from left to right. To left. When the snow melted and the roads were no longer slick...the car still shifted effortlessly from left to right. To left. His mom had someone come look at the car and they told her that both the ball joints were broken on the axle (which apparently causes a car to not be able to drive straight.) His mom questioned the mechanic about how they would break and was told it would take a tremendous force to break the ball joints. Chris just whistled and walked away.

It was just a couple short years ago that his mom finally found out how those ball joints were broken in one of our fun confession sessions.

Wow. This turned into a long post. A novel, really. You still here?

Now what does that have to do with my post? Actually nothing. I just remembered that confession session when I put that as the title of this post and thought it was a really funny story and got carried away documenting it for our posterity and all of you. For more confession sessions...you'll have to ask Chris. Unless I feel a need to post another one soon. They are pretty funny.


So here is my confession session:

I love to sneak in and watch my boys sleeping.


I look at them and wonder how on earth I could EVER be frustrated by them. They are so sweet and innocent. Quite awhile ago, Rachelle posted this awesome article about raising kids. THANK YOU, Rachelle! I think about this article all the time. And have decided that I need to read it every morning. And maybe a few more times on some days.

That's it. Kind of boring compared to the confession session above, huh? But since I am posting this blog post...I can get away with it, right?

Carson Update

(Just for the record...Chris and I called a truce for April Fool's Day this year for the first time ever.... We usually enjoy pranking each other pretty good. This year, we decided too much is going on and don't want to do anything to cause each other to worry more than we need to. :) But that is a post for another day.

Last week Carson turned two months old! I can't believe it! We took him in for his two month check up and got the dreaded shots. At least...I dread it. Carson is now 10 pounds, 12 ounces and 23 inches long. Pretty good for two months of growing (up from 6lbs 8 ounces and 19.75 inches long at birth).

A couple days later, we took Carson for an ultrasound checkup on his kidneys. He didn't like it AT ALL. And I'm still confused about it. I thought that when we were in the hospital when he was born, they made it sound like his kidneys were doing better. But when we were at his 2 month check up and the doctor read the report to us from the ultrasound they did within 24 hours of his birth...it didn't sound like things were better. So we finally got the results back from last week's ultrasound and they are not any better. His kidneys are still enlarged from urine flowing back into his kidneys. So they referred us to a pediatric kidney specialist. We finally got a hold of them and their next opening isn't until MAY! I was pretty bummed about that. I'd rather know what's going on and the implications of it um, well...now. I guess I'm impatient like that. So I guess nothing is too urgent and we will see what they have to say in May. We do feel better after talking with our good friends the Chattertons, whose cute boy had something similar. Thanks for chatting with us guys! You're the best and we miss you tons!

This Sunday we got to bless Carson at church. THANK YOU to all the friends and family who came and made the day so special for us! Here is Carson in his little blessing outfit.

I was in a hurry and thought I'd take some pictures later with Chris and stuff...which never happened. Oh well.

So other than all that exciting stuff...we've been having lots of fun together.

Caleb is so cute with Carson. He just LOVES his brother and I love to watch Caleb talking with him. Have I mentioned that I also LOVE that Chris is done with school? He has SO much more time at home now. Time to do fun things like fly kites with us:

Life is good.