Gypsy

For those of you planning on catching Calee perform in "Gypsy", here is the ticket and date information. They have worked so hard and I think it will be a great show!


http://boroarts.org/about/tickets/#gypsy

Thank you....notes

I was raised right. I really was......

However, I have really let the ball drop on my "thank you notes" lately. I wrote over a hundred when Cohen was still in the hospital, and I probably have that many left to do. I am truly working on them!

Please know if you have brought us food, sent us a gift, etc, that we love you and are SO thankful for you and the kindness you have shown us.

Thanks for your patience and understanding! Love to you all!

Big Blue is BACK!

We hauled Cohen to Vandy yesterday for an Orthopedic check-up. I knew the new AFO (foot brace) he has been wearing was not doing the job. I have not been happy with it, to say the least.

It is by far the most expensive shoe in our house and also the most annoying. Cohen works his little foot until it comes off about 10 times a day. The doctor agreed with me it's not doing what it should be, and he decided to do a few more rounds of casting.

I have mixed feelings about this-----I hate that he has to wear this big, huge cast. I am sad he can't get in the bathtub, which is his favorite thing in the world. However, I want to get this fixed and done with! In my mind he's better off to have a cast now, than later when he wants to walk and run around.

From the beginning, the doctors have thought his issues with his feet were due to my water breaking so early. Now, the Ortho doctor thinks it may be a true club foot, but just a mild case. I am not sure what to think.

Regardless, the solution for the foot is the same, no matter what the "official " cause.

Here is sweet Cohen this morning and his old friend "Big Blue".

8 Months Old!

It is hard to believe our little sweetie is 8 months old! That means he has been home with us almost 4 months! He is such a sweet and happy baby, and we are SO thankful for every moment God has given us so far.

We love you Cohen Thomas!!!!!!

Request

Please pray for my dear friend Ann and her Daddy. I know many of you are extrememly familiar with Ann's amazing and insipring journal. They are a wonderful family that has blessed so many lives, including mine. I ask that you please take a minute and pray for them. Thank you. Love to you all.

Will this week ever end?

Seriously. It's only Thursday?

Yes, I am whining. It has been a BUSY week.

 Remember all that excitement ( click here for a refresher) about Calee being in the play Gypsy???? Practice is now in full swing. From 6:30 to 9:30 nightly. She also takes dance and theater classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4-7. So basically, we are looking for her a full time chauffeur if anyone needs a part time job! (More on Gypsy play schedule and ticket info soon for those of you planning on coming)

Ames started MDO this week, and Cohen has his usual therapy, nurse visits and doctor appointments thrown in.

Justin, Calee and I have also started training for a 5K race through the Couch to 5K program. We meet on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I was really proud we survived the first run Tuesday night! Tonight we run on our own. We are really excited about this....the run is November 6th, so hopefully we will be ready by then. I will keep your posted on this.

I am still working on my "new" blog, and still struggling with a name for it....if you have any ideas, send them my way!

Hope you all are having a busy and blessed week....Love from us to you!

First Day!

Today is Ames' first day of Mother's Day Out (MDO). I truly expected crying and clinging.....maybe a little "Mama, Mama, no!"

 Instead I got "Bye Mama!" He literally ran in the room and never looked back.

Is it wrong that I am a little disappointed? The picture quality is a little low, taken from a camera phone!

Coming Soon--- My New Blog

Yes, I am starting a new blog. I am sure some of you are thinking......."what else could she possibly have to talk about?" Let me tell you,  this mind never stops- I have 20 posts waiting in the wings!

 My new blog will be geared more toward shopping, eating, couponing, etc. I am still working on the layout and all the details, but I will let you know when its up and running. I am not doing this to become rich and famous, but more to aid my connection to the outside world, now that I am "officially" a SAHM. (Stay at home mom)

I never, ever, thought I would be so into this blogging thing. I guess I should know by now that you never say never!

This blog will still be dedicated to Cohen and all things Bryant. Basically, the more important things=)

Me, Me, Me....and some others!!

I get lots of comments that I never post pictures of myself. Those that know me well know how much I dislike being in front of a camera........but, I thought I would give it a go. These are from this weekend. Justin and I went to a very special wedding of a former student of mine in Lebanon. Brandi went away to Clarendon College in Texas like I did, (wonder who influenced her to do that?) and she met her now husband there. They are such an awesome couple-----she was a stunning bride, and has the most beautiful smile of anyone I know!

Calee's MRI Results

Calee had her MRI on Tuesday, and she was such a trooper. It took over an hour, and they had to put an I.V. of dye in her arm. They let me sit next to her and hold her leg during the test. It dawned on me as we were there that I have sat beside 2 of my children in an MRI tunnel in the last few months. I looked back at that post from Cohen's MRI and cringed at a comment I made about hoping I never saw any of my children in there again. Never say never I guess!

I was thrilled when the doctor called yesterday and gave us the results. It was perfectly normal and showed no vascular abnormalities at all!!!! As Calee said, her brain is perfect! What a relief. I know this was totally just as a precaution, but it's still nerve racking.

I am sorting through old pictures this morning, trying to get them in some sort of order. Here is sweet Calee, at 3 years old. Justin had taken us on her first camping trip. I remember it like it was yesterday---she put on his boots and thought it was sooo funny. Hard to imagine she is starting 5th grade Monday. Tear. My sweet baby girl.

Yaaawwwwwnnnn.....

I have never been a morning person...getting up with the chickens has never been a favorite pastime. When I was a kid at cattle shows I always dreaded the 4 a.m. wake up calls. Then in college, Kelli, my roommate, who was a major morning person, had to drag me out of bed for early judging team practices.

I have, however, always been a little bit of a night owl. I usually get a second wind about 10-11 p.m. It's then that the kids are asleep and I think its a good time to clean out closets, scrapbook, organize something, etc.

 This morning I finally realized-- The chickens and the owls just don't mix anymore. Someone has got to go. Since I don't see the chickens (or Ames and Cohen as I like to call them=) changing habits, I am going to have to lose the owl.

My new effort is going to try and get in the bed at a earlier time (at least during the week). I would love to say that I will be in bed by 10 p.m. every night, but I know I will never stick to that. So, for now, I am going to say I have to be in bed, (not reading or playing on the laptop) but head on the pillow and actually attempting to sleep by 10:30 on weeknights. Then hopefully I can gradually move it to 10, then heaven forbid, 9:30.

I hope that in a matter of days the bloodshot eyes will be a thing of the past! Justin will be so excited, as over time my bad habits have become his also.........

I ran across this picture from a few months ago that shows exactly how I am feeling this morning.

Swallow Study Results

I wish I had better news to report........

Cohen's swallow study today was the same as the last one we had right before he was discharged at the end of April. He is still aspirating from the bottle directly into his lungs. He did not try to cough or protect his airway. We are disappointed, but are well aware of how much worse this could be.

Cohen's speech pathologist is amazing. She has always encouraged us even when the studies don't look great----she is going to let us try and start a little baby food. When I say a little, I mean 1 teaspoon per day for the next 3-4 months. This is not to add nutrition, but more to keep him from developing some sort of oral aversion. Since this is a thicker substance, he will hopefully not aspirate it. If he does sound congested or "junky" after, we will discontinue the baby food.

We will re-group in November with our ENT specialist, and just see where we go from here. I don't want to make assumptions, but I do think this indicates the left vocal cord is still paralyzed.  I also think he will encourage us to do another MRI. That's just me guessing.

Regardless of the study today, Cohen continues to be growing and doing well in so many ways. He is such a sweet and happy baby.

We know this is just a tiny bump in the road in comparison to the ups and downs since Cohen was born. While still in the NICU, we dealt with good and bad diagnosis(s) everyday-- I think we were more used to it---or expected it more then since he was hospitalized.  Now that he is home and away from all the constant medical drama, I seem to struggle to process negative reports more. I forget he is not just a "normal" (I hate that word=)  baby-you would think the G tube would be a reminder, but it's just old hat to us now.

Anyway, it is what it is, and we can just hope and pray for the best.

Thank you for all the kind words and prayers. Love to you all.