Long time... no post

Well, obviously I'm a little busier now since I have to work and take care of a baby (and a husband!). Colt is doing great. He's getting bigger and bigger. He gets half formula/half breast milk everyday. The whole pumping thing at school is not so fun but I want to keep it up as long as I can. My first day back was staff development so it wasn't so bad. I was actually excited to see the kids again. It's so much better teaching and not being 9 months pregnant! My kids missed me and so far I think they're happy that I'm back. Colt has been doing great at Mrs. Pat's house. She said he eats all the time. She is learning with the rest of us how to empty his bag. I'm so grateful that she's taking care of him. She's like a grandma to me and I know she feels like Colt is one of her own so I'm thrilled that she is keeping him! Anyway, his bags have been doing better. We can get them to stay on 2 or 3 days now. It's a huge improvement so it's alot better. Well, here's some cute pictures I've taken in the past week.

His big boy outfit. So cute! Thanks Grandmother Craft


Michelle came to visit us. Anberlin is 10 days older than Colt. Look at those chubby cheeks


This is how dad burps him


How cute is this!

10 Things I've learned being a mom

1. I can't be in a hurry to go anywhere.
2. If God wanted to teach me patience, He's doing a great job?
3. No matter how many times I shower, I always smell like poop or spit up.
4. Getting peed on is a daily occurrence that I just need to accept
5. When poop comes out a different way, it smells alot worse!
6. I get alot more attention everywhere I go if I have Colt with me
7. Somehow new moms don't need as much sleep to survive
8. Even though I lost all the weight i gained, my clothes still don't fit
9. I've learned to always check to make sure my shirt is on right and not inside out before I leave the house!

And the most important thing I've learned being a mom
10. I can love this little boy more than I ever imagined loving anything else.

Dr. Updates

Yesterday we went to the nutritionist. I think it was a waste of time. I guess it kinda set a bad tone with me when they weighed him and he only weighed 9.7. I was sure he had gained weight since we'd been in the hospital. So then, we go into a room with a girl that looks younger than me. She didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know. Her only suggestion was to add some formula to my breast milk to add calories so he can catch up to where he's suppose to be. He's a little behind in the weight area but ahead in the height area. So basically he's tall and skinny. Wonder how long that will last? So today was a better day. We went to the surgeon and on their scale he weighed 10.7. So either he gained a pound in 24 hours or the scale yesterday was way off. He'd been weighed at the surgeon before. Two weeks ago he weighed 9.4 so I think he's gaining weight at a good rate. I'm still gonna add a little formula to the breast milk just to make sure he's getting enough calories. Another positive that came from the surgeon was a possible date for the next surgery. We told him our insurance situation. Right now they pay 100% but starting Jan 1st they'll only pay 80%. So he had no problem with scheduling surgery the last week of December. He said he usually does the pull through surgery around 3-6 months of age so Colt will be almost 4 months. Also, I'll already be out of school so i won't have to miss anymore. So it was a good day. Also, last night he slept 4 hours two times in a row. So he only woke up at 12:30 and 4:30. Maybe he'll keep that up. So that's the updates for now.

Things are looking up

Well, we took our first road trip with Colt. It went pretty good. Every year we go to my family reunion. Usually we have to drive 4 or 5 hours but this year, my parents were in charge so they chose Lake Whitney. We were glad since it's only a few hours away. We stayed at this peacock farm right on the lake. It was really a beautiful weekend to be outdoors. So when we got there, Colt's bag had leaked so we had to change it that afternoon. Then that night it had leaked again so we changed it again. It was a stressful night because I was really starting to worry about not having enough bags. But that one lasted until yesterday morning. So the longest we've gotten one to stay on is 2 days which the colostomy nurse said that's now long they will probably last. Well, other than having to change the bags, we had a great weekend catching up with family. I have a cousin that I haven't seen in years and she was there with her kids. It's really weird to see all my cousins with spouses and kids. We're all grown up! So today we went to the Arboretum to take pictures of Colt with the pumpkins. I thought it would be a good day to go since it's a weekday and maybe it wouldn't be so crowded. Man was I wrong. There were so many "stay at home" moms there with their little ones. It was so crowded! But we were able to get some really good pictues. Of course it would've been so much easier if he could hold his head up but that's okay. Next year will be really fun. A big thanks goes out to my cousin Sara for going with us and taking the pictures. I also had a Dr.'s appt today. All went well. Then we had lunch with my dad and came home. Tonight we're gonna try to put let him sleep in his bed, even if he starts crying. Wish us luck! Here's a bunch of pictures from today.....
"I can't wait to go to my first Ranger's game"

"Just chillin with my pepaw"

"I love my memaw too"








"My cousin Sara is making weird faces at me"

"What in the world are ya'll doing to me?"

"Okay I'm bored now"

"I love my cousin Sara"

Mama's sweet boy

"What are ya'll doing to me?"

"Okay so I can't really hold my head up yet"

"Okay mom, that's like the 100th kiss you've given me today"



"Okay mom, I'm done!"

I'm not sleep deprived anymore!

Well, for now, I feel a little more rested. I've decided that he sleeps alot better with me in our bed than in his own bed. I really tried not to get that started but I'm tired of not sleeping. So when he's with me, we both sleep longer. I figure he's been through enough and he just needs the security of his mama. He is staying awake more in the day and sleeping more at night so that's a good thing. We got one bag to stay on for 2 days. But we've yet to get another one to last that long. I spent all morning on the phone with insurance and medical supply companies. The hospital gave us a catalog and a company to order supplies through. So I called Monday and placed an order. We thought we'd have more time since the bags are supposed to last 2 to 3 days. But we were down to 7 bags so i thought I should just order. Well, that company took 3 days to call me and let me know that they are not contracted through my insurance so I couldn't order through them. Well, I have no idea where else to get colostomy bags. So I started to panic thinking we're gonna run out of bags and then what would we do. So i called my insurance company and they gave me 5 different places I could call where I could go pick them up. Oh and they told me medical supplies are 100% covered. So I was a happy person until I called all 5 places and not one of them sold colostomy bags. so i called the insurance company back and they gave me the website that had all the providers. I called every one of them in a 30 mile radius (which was 53 of them) and no one sold colostomy bags. So I'm getting desperate at this point. I think the last person I called was some sort of angel. I only asked one question "Do ya'll sell colostomy bags?" and she said "no, but I see you're with Aetna. Let me tell you where you can order them" So how in the world did she know which insurance I had? So I finally got the supplies ordered. I ordered a different kind so we'll see if this one works. They say they will be here within 2-3 business days. So now we're cutting it close and praying that the bags will last until the new ones come in. On a different note, he's always hungry which I guess is a good thing for him but not so much for me. He likes to eat every 2 hours and he usually takes about 30-45 minutes to eat. So basically by the time he's done I have an hour until he eats again. It's driving me crazy! So I called the Dr. because I'm wondering if I'm not producing enough milk for him. I've been giving him a little formula. The Dr. wants to send us to a Dietician which I wasn't sure why at first. But he explained that with a normal baby (without a colostomy) the nurtients have time to absorb before they get all the way down to to colon. Since his is cut short, he may not be absorbing all the nutrients he needs so he's hungry all the time. So he might need a special formula that contains a higher fat and nutrient content. I will still nurse regardless of what they say but i may have to supplement formula to help him gain weight. So we'll add that Dr. to our list. Now we have 3. So between my follow up appt from the C-section, the surgeon and the dietician we have 3 appointments next week. Next week is that last week I have off. Although my principal called today and asked if I needed more time. It's nice to know that she is so supportive of what is going on in my life right now. But I'm going back. We can't really afford for me to take any more time off. And I know this may make me sound like a horrible mother but I'm kinda looking forward to getting back on a schedule. And I've learned that teaching is alot easier than taking care of a baby. Never would have imagined that but it's true. And i kinda miss my kids at school. Well, I'll stop blabbing about all the stuff going on and get to the good stuff. I know everyone really just checks this blog to see pictures. So here's a few. He started smiling a little and I finally captured one.

Now, i just need to capture one with his eyes open


I spent the day with my good friend Amy yesterday. She has a little boy and a baby girl on the way. She's my back up baby sitter. She's really gonna have her hands full.


This was right after a huge smile. It's still a precious face though!

Tough weekend

Well, colt has decided to start a new schedule of sleeping all day and staying awake all night. Don't know when he got these two mixed up but somehow he likes making his mama crazy. When we got home from the hospital he would not let me put him down. I think he was really sore from the surgery. So I was keeping tylenol in his system. We are having the hardest time with the colostomy bags. We can't get them not to leak. But we're working on it. Hopefully we'll find a way to put it on where it won't leak very often. Jared and I had to get up at 2:30 in the morning to change his bag because once again it had leaked. So once we figure that out, my life will be so much easier! Today my goal is to keep him up so he'll sleep tonight. Oh and I left him for the first time on Saturday. i felt really guilty for leaving him but he didn't even know it because he slept the entire time. I went to my parents to take a nap and then got my hair done. So I felt rejuvinated afterwards. Jared came home Saturday night. We were both so happy to see him! Oh and we've discovered the swing. He loves it most of the time. It helps him sleep sometimes so I think we'll be using that more often. Here's some cute pics of our little man.

This is what he thought of his hospital visit


He loves his boppy


"What are you looking at mom"


"I love eating my hand"

When it rains it pours

Well, I'll start by saying that Colt is fine. He did great in the hospital. The nurse was impressed with how well me and Jared could empty his bag. We were actually pretty bored today in our room. I will say though... Medical City has really good food. Alot better than Baylor. The Dr. came to see us and looked at Colt. He said he looked great and could go home tomorrow. A few hours later we got an upsetting phone call. Jared's papaw passed away today. He was such a wonderful, loving man of God. He has had nothing but encouraging words for us in the past month. He's been having some health problems and finally went home to be with his Father today. Of course we were very saddened to hear about his today but we know that he is rejoicing in Heaven right now. So with that news, we asked the nurse if she could call the Dr. and ask if we could go home tonight instead of tomorrow. She came back and let us know he thought that would be fine. So, a few hours later we signed out discharge papers and went home. We had to make the decision to go to be with the family (they live in Florence Alabama) or stay here. Jared and I both really wanted to go but we both decided it would be better for me to stay with Colt since he's so young and just had surgery. At first we were set on me going because I really want to be there for my husband but we're learning to think about what would be best for Colt and not necessarily ourselves. So keep Jared and his family in your prayers as they will be traveling to Alabama tomorrow. Colt and I will be here by ourselves but I'm sure my mom will come over and help me with Colt.
On a better note, Colt is eating very well and pooping. He even looks a little chunkier already. The whole bag thing doesn't seem like it will be such a hassle. Tonight we started smelling it really bad and realized it was leaking so we had to change the bag. They told us it would last 2 to 3 days. Well, this one lasted a day. So tomorrow I'll be on the phone with different suppliers requesting samples of different products so we can see which ones will work best for us. I will try to post some pictures tomorrow. I'm sure I'll have plenty of time this weekend (I hope you heard the sarcasm in my voice)

Surgery went well

Colt went into surgery about 2:20 this afternoon. They told us 10 am but he was really on a waiting list since it was last minute. So the surgery only took like an hour and he did great. The surgeon said it was a short segment so when it's all said and done he won't have to lose much of his colon. We went back to recovery and he was already awake. Poor baby sounded so raspy from the tube down his throat. He is pooping and tooting like crazy. It's all being released and man oh man does it not smell good. He's been fussy since we've been back in the room. I think he's just trying to let all that gas out. So, right now we're waiting for the colostomy nurse to come in and give us a lesson on how to change his colostomy bag. The surgeon said he should be able to go home on Thursday. So only two more days in the hospital. I'll update more as I know more. Thanks for all your prayers!

Back in the Hospital

Well, we have been to two different Dr's offices today and now we ended up in the hospital. We already had the appt with the surgeon but I called first thing this morning to see if the pediatrician would see him because he's been spitting up more this weekend. It started Friday morning. He kept spitting up and not wanting to eat again. We thought maybe he had built up an immunity to the prilosec and it just wasn't working anymore. Yesterday we noticed that his stomach was really bloated. So the pediatrician didn't think his stomach looked normal so he did an x-ray. He sent us over to the surgeon early (although we got there late because I went to the Dallas office and the appt was at the Plano office). The surgeon definitely didn't like the look of his stomach and with his spitting up and rejecting food, he wanted to admit him to the hospital. He will have the surgery tomorrow at 10am and stay in the hospital a few days afterwards for observation. The good thing is we have our own room here so we can stay with him the whole time. So my first reaction was to lose it and cry and feel sorry for myself. But after a few minutes, I realized that I had to be strong for my son and know that this is what is best for him right now. So we went to eat and went home to pack. We headed back up to the hospital and that's where we are now. Tonight they did a barium enema which he already had right after he was born. The surgeon just wanted him to have that to confirm that his colon was too dilated. Tomorrow he'll have the colostomy surgery. Basically, for those of you who don't know what that is.... they will take the good part of the intestines and connect it to his stomach so a bag can be connected from the outside. We will have to learn to change the bag out. Instead of changing a poopy diaper, we'll be changing his bag. He'll still pee in his diaper but any waste will come out in the bag. This will help the colon get back to normal size so they can do the surgery. They won't do the surgery until everything is the size it needs to be and he has gained more weight. The colostomy is supposed to make him eat better and poop better which will help him gain weight. So overall, this is a good thing. We hate that he's having two surgery's instead of one. But it's kinda of a relief to know why he hasn't been eating and hopefully he'll start to gain weight. Today he actually weighed a few ounces less than what he weighed when we left the hospital two weeks ago. We're not thrilled about the colostomy bag but it's just another thing we'll have to learn about and do until he has the surgery. We've heard that it's not so bad once you get used to it. So, again, we ask for your prayers for all three of us. I know I sound like we're being so positive and we're okay but we have our moments of "why us". I know that one day maybe we'll be able to help someone else that is going through this. Another thing my mom reminded me of is that God won't give us anything we can't handle so I guess God thinks we're strong enough to endure all of this. One more thing that happened today to prove that God is working in our life.... Right after after I told my mom about being admitted to the hospital, a girl from church texted her a message. This girl knew nothing about what is going on with Colt. This is what the text said "Psalm 18:28-29 - You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can run through a barricade; with my God I can scale my wall." Then she went on to say "Give everything to God. Place your heart in his hands today and you can overcome any obstacle. he will fill you with hope and joy. Have a great day!" So God knew how to get that message to me. On that note, I'll end my long post. I will definitely post tomorrow night so everyone can know how the surgery went. This is a link to a website that tells alot about Hirschprungs Disease and the surgeries he'll be having. http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/digest/hirschpr.html

Very exciting news

Well, I have 2 great things that happened this week. To some, this may not seem like a big deal but it was very exciting to me. As some of you may know, we've been trying to nurse to I don't have to pump all the time. He finally caught up with me and I ran out of bottles so he had no choice but to nurse. Well, he was being picky and would only nurse from one side, which obviously can cause some problems. So yesterday he decided to stop discriminating against the one side and nursed from both sides. So I haven't had to pump much. Of course, in 3 weeks when I go back to school, I'm gonna have to go back to pumping. But at least, for now no more preparing bottles. Okay my other piece of exciting news has nothing to do with Colt. I have always wanted to see the Eagles in concert. My parents,brother and sister-in-law all went a few weeks ago right after Colt was born. I was so bummed that I couldn't go. So now, they are coming back and I was online first thing Monday morning and I got tickets! I am thrilled. I was raised listening to the Eagles and I am a huge fan. So on Nov, 15 we will be at the Eagles concert. I guess that will be the first night Colt will have a baby-sitter. My sister-in-law is so excited to baby sit that night. Okay, so that's my exciting news. I'm posting some pictures of last night. Harmony came over to cook us dinner, which was very yummy. She asked to give Colt a bath so she did. While she was giving him a bath, her son, Dylan, wanted to take a bath too. So Colt had his first bath buddy. I'm sure they'll both appreciate this picture later!
He loves his aunt Harmony

Boys taking a bath

How sweet is this

"Okay mom, stop taking so many pictures. Everyone knows how adorable I am."

"I'm so sleepy!"