Nice and toasty hanging off mommy!!

Shopping at Crocker Park with mommy and Aunt Connie!!! No Power!!! Brrrrrr!

Do you like my hat?? Yes, yes I love your new hat!!!

I ROLLED OVER!!!...TWICE:-)

Monkey Baby!!!

Aiden trying on mommy's pants!!

Playtime :-)

I'm 4 months old TODAY!!!!

So handsome!

Me and my sleeping angel

Max snuggling his big brotther

Just Chillin'

"Oh, I see you forgot to put your filter in this morning!!"

Well, I am sure it is the beginning of a million comments that I will hear in regards to Max, and I know I will get a backbone and less emotional as time goes on, but it AMAZES me what people will let come flying out of their mouths!!!  We laugh and say these people forgot to put their filter in...the one that filters out all the stupid, non PC, insensitive things that they say.
Two examples, the first not a big deal and didn't upset me.  The second that upset me immensely, more than I could have imagined!
A few weeks ago at a birthday party, one of the moms who doesn't know about Max's LP status said "WOW!! he's 2/12 months!! He's so little!"  But she said it with the tone in her voice of "what is wrong with him??"  I just shrugged and, at this age, felt no need to explain.  Now what she said was not bad at all, but the tone she said it in implied something was wrong with him...I would never say anything like that to someone.  She clearly left her filter at home that day.
The second example really upset me.  We were at the opening of the new hospital in our area and I was talking with a woman who had known my husbands family for years, mostly politically but socially as well.  I had met her many times over the years.  She was adoring little Max, who was hanging off the front of me in the Chicco carrier.  He was full of smiles for her and was so attentive.  We got to talking about having kids and how many and she brought up the Dugger Family with 19 kids.  We were wondering how anyone can afford 19 kids and she said that being on TV probably helps a lot.  Then we briefly mentioned Jon and Kate Plus 8 as well.  I then said (honestly thinking she may already know about Max's conditions) "that TLC has some really good programs on, like that Little People Big World." and she said (I can honestly feel the venom rising up inside of my chest right now as I remember how I felt when she said it....deep breaths!!)...so she said "Oh, the show about the midgets.  Oh, I know they don't like being called that..."  so I, stunned, put my hands gently over Max's head (who is now sleeping looking so angelic laying on my chest in the carrier) and say "well, you know, Max is a little person.....and, although I was unaware of this before I had Max, they Little People community really finds that word to very degrading...."  She looks oblivious, gets accidently bumped from somebody behind us and joins their conversation...No, "gee I'm sorry to have said something so insensitive" or, "excuse me while I pull my foot out of my mouth"....I honestly think she is one of those people who just says what she wants and doesn't have a clue!!!  And I say, KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE!!  If you find it necessary to say something negative, (which we should all NOT DO!!) at least make sure you are not insulting the person you are talking to!!!  So, there I am, standing in the middle of about 100 people crammed into the center of the new hospital lobby and I am uncontrollably upset. Eric was standing by me but was not privy to any of that conversation.  I had to excuse myself and rush out of the room.  It would have been one thing if she had just used the word midget...but to follow it up with "I know THEY don't like to be called that"...Like 'THEY' are a disease...AND if you KNOW that, than DON'T use the word!!  Unfortunately, this is an individual that will probably NEVER get it.  I do give myself credit for educating her about why NOT to use that word.  She clearly forgot to put her filter in!!...
I was so upset about this and I know, in time, I will get used to the comments and the stares but I'm sure it will still hurt.  But honestly, thus far, the absolute majority of the people who I have told about Max have been so supportive and wonderful.  Our family and friends are so excited to know a Little Person and to meet other wonderful people they may have never had the opportunity to meet before Max.  Max is such a blessing!

Computer Meltdown!

Ugh!!  I was having some really annoying problems with my Mac recently, mostly related to iTunes and my iPhone.  I took both my Mac desktop (which is HUGE) and my iPhone to the Genius Bar yesterday and it took about 2 hours for them to (hopefully) get it fixed.  They were afraid they were going to have to wipe the Mac totally clean and start over if they couldn't get it fixed...ugh!!!  So, he created a new user for me and now I have NO IDEA where all my stuff is and how to find it!!  I am so confused!!  The Genius was stumped for awhile and said he has NEVER seen this problem before, but at the same time, he was excited to have something new and different to challenge him.  He was a self admitted GEEK! (his words not mine!!).  But whatever he wants to call himself, to me he will always be a GENIUS for getting my computer working again...now I just have to figure out how to find everything...wish me luck!!

Max is reading himself a book:-)

Here's Max, getting ready for bed, reading a book! He is so smart
already!!

Aiden-1st Grade Picture Day.

So GQ!!

My little girl

Aiden cooking up "experiments"

Rainy day...

Well, it is such a rainy, gloomy day today. Max is napping in my lap
(see pic :-). I have lots of laundry to fold and put away and dishes
to do (and the list goes on and on...), but is there anything better
than snuggling with an adorable baby? I don't think so:-).

2 of my little monkeys

Max was dressed up as a little monkey and Emmi put on her best little
monkey face:-)

I'm a happy baby boy today!!

Nope, not tired... No plans to sleep anytime soon!

Still awake and happy!!

Good night everyone!!

Big smiles tonight!!!

Max just makes me smile:-)

Our Little Pumpkin

What you talkin' about Willis?

Contemplating the meaning of life

And... All snug as a bug in a rug!!

Hanging out before bedtime

My Goofy big boy!!!

Max's Two Month Well Child Check

Max had his 2 month (!!) well child check on Monday with Dr. Phelps.  Of course, we have already been seen by Johns Hopkins and by Dr. Ain (Ortho) recently, so this appointment wasn't going to tell us much more.  He weighed in at 11#10oz and was 22 inches long (!).  I am guessing most of the growth was in his torso though...I have not really noticed his legs growing much (they are still so adorable though!!).  His head circumference was about 40.8cm, which is still on the small side for achondroplasia.  So many parents and even other little people at the conference last weekend commented that his head is so small for achondroplasia.  I know this can change at any time though, which is why they recommend having his head circumference measured every month (Dr. Ain thought that was overkill and recommended every other month...I will do every month though...because I am neurotic like that!!).  I was going to split up his immunizations a little so that he wouldn't get so many shots in one day and because there is a small part of me that IS worried about all the aluminum and mercury that is used as preservatives in the shots.  I was planning on doing the Dr. Sears Immunization schedule.  He recommends not giving them all at once, but instead, getting shots every month.  He also pushes back the MMR and a few others, I think.  The problem with that schedule, is that it would have pushed back the Hemophilus influenza B (Hib) and the Pneumovax (for Pneumococcus).  With Max having a higher risk for ear infections, this was going to push back immunizing for 2 of the big pathogens for ear infections, right in the middle of cold and flu season.  That did not seem to make sense to me at all.  So, he did indeed get all of the usual shots for a 2 month old, as well as the Rotavirus oral immunization.  The DTaP and the Hib were all in once shot so he only got 2 shots...this presumably cut down on the preservatives too.
Overall, he is a very healthy 2 month old little boy!!!  His ears looked good-no fluid.  His lower legs are slightly bowed, but all babies have this amount of bowing because of the way they develop in utero.  (Dr. Ain had no concerns with it when we saw him last weekend.)
He will go back in to have his head circumference checked next month and then see Dr. Phelps again for his 4 month check up.  We will plan to go back to Johns Hopkins in February to see Genetics, Neurosurgery and Ortho.
Hopefully we have an UNEVENTFUL cold and flu season!!!

Trying to blog from my iPhone

Hopefully this sets up so I can blog from my iPhone...We'll see.  This is a test!

Columbus Zoo

Trip to Indianapolis-LPA Medical Conference

We went to the LPA Midwest Medical Conference over this past weekend.  It was a very worthwhile car trip.  Thank goodness we had the new minivan!!  It kept the kids almost totally entertained watching movies and listening to their own music for the long drive.
We left on Friday after picking Aiden up from the bus stop.  We made a quick stop so I could keep my appointment with the dermatologist and we were on the road by around 4:30p.  We drove to the Dublin, OH area and stopped for dinner at a Quaker Steak and Lube.  The kids loved the restaurant and all the cars hanging from the ceiling!  We arrived at our hotel in Indianapolis around 11:30 pm and finally got tucked into bed a little after midnight.  Aiden had slept for about the last hour in the car and Emmi had fallen asleep shortly before we got to the hotel.  They were EXHAUSTED!!  Emmi and I lucked out because we got to sleep in the comfy bed and Eric and Aiden shared the pull out couch, which had little if any mattress on it!!
We got up at 7am to make sure we got to the conference on time...we could have slept for hours more!  The conference was at the Riley Children's Hospital in Indy.  It is next to the IUPUI campus so it was somewhat challenging to find exactly where we needed to be.  The conference started with opening remarks and introductions of all the doctors, many of whom are on the Little People Medical Advisory Board.
We had our first appointment with Dr. Michael Ain.  He is an orthopaedist, as well as a little person.  I was most looking forward to meeting him.  Having gone through medical school and residency myself, I would never have imagined stature being a deterrent to being an excellent physician. I have read his story online and he had been flat out told that his patients would not respect him based only on the fact that he stands only about 4 ft 3 inches tall.  On the contrary, many people travel from very far just to see him, myself included.  As an average height parent of a little person, what better person to take care of your child than someone who has been through it and who lives with the same condition each day and has been so successful in life!  I am sure he will be a great role model for Max.  Also, he is a surgeon at Johns Hopkins and has a great reputation.  If Max needs orthopaedic surgery, I am sure he will be in very good hands with Dr. Ain.  He was quite personable and funny.  He told us that Max looks good now.  Nothing to worry about at this point.  He feels that Max has a slight kyphosis and told us to roll a washcloth up for behind his back in the car seat to help push his lower back in.  He said he will see us at our next trip to Johns Hopkins in February, but that if we had any questions in the meantime, not to hesitate to call him.  He seemed to make himself very available if we needed to speak with him.  I believe it was his calling to become a doctor for little people.  We may never know why things happen the way they do, and I do wonder what Max's calling will be in life, but I believe Dr. Ain is doing just as he was meant to do.
We also met with Psychiatry...(wow, somedays I really feel I need one of those on a regular basis!!).  She felt as thought we are coping quite well with things.
We met with Dr. Bellus who is a geneticist from the University of Colorado.  He was super nice.  He talked about the specific genetic mutation associated with achondroplasia.  He did say that other genes do interact with the gene that is mutated so there is no way to know for sure how exactly it will be expressed.  We do know that Max will be short statured, but because Eric is tall and I am slightly taller than the average, Max could be a little taller (maybe gain a few more inches over the norm of 4'-4'3" that is usual for a male with achondroplasia).  At that point, those few possible inches will just help with adaptability in his environment, but he will still always be short statured.
I met with the nutritionist from Akron Children's Hospital. (Eric was in the waiting room at this point with a 3 year old girl who was quickly melting down!!!!  Yes, it was Emmiloo!!!  Finally after that she fell asleep in the stroller and slept for a good hour and a half!)  The nutritionist was wonderful, although we talked very little about nutrition :-)  She is a little person and we ended up talking mostly about our kids and nursing and upcoming LPA events.  At this point, Max is feed on demand (and he is very demanding!! hehe).  Nutrition will become a bigger issue when he starts eating table foods.
Our last appointment of the day was with Dr. Richard Kerbavaz, an ENT from Oakland Children's Hospital.  I thought he was great too!!  He had such practical advice and has had a lot of experience with little people.  He examined Max and thought his nasal passages seemed normal and that his external ear canals were quite large (they are often times very small in achons and can make it hard to see the ear drum).  He did not see any fluid in Max's ears and gave me advice on what to look for if I examine him (although I usually leave that to Dr. Phelps).  He was very knowledgable and seemed genuinely interested in being there.
By the time we left, we were all exhausted!  It had been a very busy day but well worth it!  It was nice to get the opinions of other specialists who deal with little people in their clinics on a regular basis.  We really went to have Max looked at and to gather more information, as well as meet some other parents and other little people.  We met a few parents who plan to be at the regional LPA event in Perrysburg in October.  We hope to hook up with them again there.
We decided to drive to the Columbus area to spend the night on Saturday night (Eric REFUSED to sleep on that pull out couch again and I can't blame him!).  We stayed in a 2 BR Residence Inn and all got a good nights sleep.  Both kids fell asleep with Eric in the one bedroom and I had the whole other bed to myself!!! (except when little Maxy woke up to eat...but I didn't mind sharing :-) )  We surprised the kids by taking them to the Columbus Zoo on Sunday.  We had never been there before and got in for half price because we are members of the Cleveland Zoo.  It is a great zoo!!!  We were there for about 3 hours and didn't even make a dent in it!   They have a bunch of rides and a roller coaster that we spent a bunch of time on.  We saw monkeys and birds and the fish, but not many other animals.  We need to go back and devote an entire day to that zoo!
On the way home, we stopped at Easton Place and took Aiden to the Lego store.  There are not many Lego stores around so we figured that was a great place to stop for dinner.  WOW!!  Easton Place is huge!  Tons of shopping!  I need to go there and spend a weekend just wandering around shopping (anyone up for a trip!!!)  When we got back on the road, it was about 3 hours until we reached home.  We were all so tired that we all just fell into bed.
Overall, it was a great weekend.  We are looking forward to going to the Regional LPA event in Perrysburg the weekend of October 23rd.  It is at the Holiday Inn Holidome.  The kids are super excited about all the fun stuff there will be to do there!!
Well, I'll keep you posted...this was a pretty long post so if anyone read this far..thanks...:-)  I figure I  may as well include all the details since I am taking the time to write it down...  I wish I was a more eloquent writer and more witty! I will work on it!!

Emmiloo turns 3!!!!

WOW!! I can't even BELIEVE that Emmi turned 3 on Friday!!!! It seems like just yesterday that she was the baby! Now she is a big sister AND a little sister...she LOVES that!

She had a party at lunch on her birthday with all her friends at school. We brought pizza, chips, oranges, juice boxes and chocolate chip cookies for her to share with her friends. She had to wear her Snow White Princess dress and crown to school that day. She looked BEAUTIFUL... We took the kids to Chuck E Cheese on Friday night and they had a ball! The pizza left a lot to be desired but they didn't care. It was a great day!

Saturday, we had her family and friends birthday party and she wore her Snow White dress again. Eric took her to get her hair done at the salon. She had such a cute little up do with a big red bow in it. She was so excited about the pinata at her party and the kids had tons of fun beating at it with a baseball bat. Those things are pretty hard to open up! We got here a princess ice cream cake from DQ because there are no eggs in them and she was covered in blue frosting. It was very yummy!

TRIP TO JOHNS HOPKINS- PART 2

Well, we achieved what we wanted to at Johns Hopkins this week…REASSURANCE. We just left the office of the Pediatric Pulmonologist, Dr. Sterni, who thought that Max is doing great. She said his lungs sound perfect and his chest is on the large size for achondroplasia. She honestly thinks we have a higher probability of Max having problems related to the fact that Eric had issues with wheezing and allergies as a child and comes from a highly atopic family more than we will have issues from Max having achondroplasia. She was GREAT!! She looked at Max’s sleep study and knew the doctor from Rainbow who read it. She said that doctor is like the guru in reading sleep studies. She said she sometimes wonders who interprets sleep studies at other hospitals and that some people even come to Johns Hopkins just to make sure it is done and interpreted correctly, but that she knows ours was read by one of the best. We were very pleased with that information! And of course they thought Max was SUPER cute too!!

So, in all, all the doctors that we have seen here have been wonderful. They think Max is doing great and have no reason to think that will change. We need to be vigilant about watching for any changes in his breathing or his head circumference but they are very encouraged by how he looks now. I am so glad we are hooked in with such a great group of doctors. They like to see their patients every 6 months , so we will plan on another visit around February. I may do that visit alone if there are no issues so that Eric can be home with Aiden and Emmi. It was hard to leave them and I know it was hard for them too.

Now, I feel like we can go home and really ENJOY Max without worrying about all the things I was so worried about before we came. He is an amazing little one and I want to just enjoy him being an infant:-)

We did get to enjoy this trip a little too! We went to DC yesterday and wandered through the Smithsonian Museam of Natural History. They had a really cool exhibit about bones there. They showed how they do forensics using bones and had lots of bone samples. Most of the museums closed early yesterday so we didn't get to see too much but it was a beautiful day to just walk around and look at the sights. No Obama sightings though!! We had dinner at a quaint little Italian restaurant and then headed back to the hotel. Today before our appointment, we wandered around downtown Baltimore and ate lunch outside. It was a fun trip, although we wish Aiden and Emmi could have been with us too!

Well, we just got on the freeway to drive home. What a BEAUTIFUL day for a drive!!! It is really a lovely drive and we even get to drive through a mountain…which may give me a bit of a panic attack if I really think about all the weight of the mountain above my head…so, I am going to just push that thought out of my mind…

OUR FIRST TRIP TO JOHNS HOPKINS WITH MAX

Hello!! Well, we made it to Baltimore yesterday for our first visit to Johns Hopkins with Max. The trip was pleasant and uneventful. It took us about 8 hours because we stopped 3 times to feed Max and a few other times for food and potty. We easily could have made it in 6 hours if we didn't have to stop so much. What a beautiful drive! We got the kids off to school yesterday morning without a problem and headed out after that. We arrived here at about 4:30pm. We have a beautiful view from our hotel room over the harbor and the weather has been so nice, although very fall-like.

Last night, we met up with some new friends that live in Annapolis and have a beautiful LP daughter named Tessa (Hi Sarah!!). Tessa is so cute and has a million dollar smile :-) Any day now Max will give me one of those big beautiful grins!! Can't wait...he is warming up slowly...giving little half smiles and smirks here and there... It was so nice to meet another couple who is in the same boat we are with an infant with achondroplasia. Max has an adorable little girlfriend :-). I look forward to watching them both grow up.

This morning we got up nice and early for our 9am appointment with genetics. We left the hotel at 8am, although the Outpatient Clinic is only about 1 mile away...good thing because, despite the navigation in our van, we got lost... so, we didn't end up arriving at our destination for 45 minutes! What a system they have here...you walk in and get a wrist band from security (although no one checked are bags or anything) and then you go to another window and tell them where you are going. When you get to the right department, you go to another receptionist who takes your information. You actually take a number like at the deli department of the grocery store. Despite the numbers and all the different desks you check in at, it was very easy and very personable. Everyone was so friendly. We hardly waited at all to see either doctor (That was AMAZING to me!!!) When we got to genetics, we had a little scare when the nurse got Max's blood pressure at 140/61... I was having a panic attack until she repeated it with a bigger cuff and got a normal reading. We did NOT come here for any new diagnoses!

The geneticist, Dr. Hoover-Fong was great! She had lots of information to share and examined Max. She said his chest/rib cage is actually on the large size for achondroplasia...which is very reassuring to me. She said his mid face is only mildly depressed (Not something I would EVER have noticed-very common with this condition and can be quite pronounced) so she HOPES he won't have a lot of chronic problems with colds, ear infections. His head circumference is fine. She hates car seats because of the way their heads flop down, not just with LP infants but all infants. She said the Chicco carrier (like a baby bjorn) and the swing we have been using is fine and that the exersaucer will be fine in the future if we make sure to stuff towels in around him so it supports his back. We plan to just lay him flat in the stroller when we are out and about and not use the car seat unless we are in the car. Overall, she is very reassured by how things have been going in the past 6 weeks!!

They like to see kids back every 6 months, but we don't have to come that frequently (although we will!). They will set up all the specialist appointments for us each time we come. It is a very user friendly set up here. They will send us the clinic note from today with lots of educational information and will send that all to Dr. Phelps too.

After we left genetics, we went to see Dr. Ahn in Neurosurgery. Once again, painless check in process and very short wait time. He was very nice. He reviewed Max’s MRI in the room with us and said it looked fine, no concerns at this time. He felt his tone was normal (yippee) and was not concerned about the tremors/clonus that Max has. I have been SOOO worried about the tremors and the clonus but he said, with a normal MRI, there is nothing else to be worried about and it should resolve in 6-12 months… They are the result of his immature neurologic system (he IS an infant..) and that they will go away in time. He has seen a lot of people with achondroplasia because of the skeletal dysplasia clinic there so I feel reassured. That is really what this whole trip was about…REASSURANCE…luckily we didn’t have any true medical issues that brought us up here.

After our appointments we had lunch at Fogo de Chao (Brazilian Steakhouse-one of Eric’s favorite restaurants.) They had the most amazing looking salad bar I have ever seen!!! It was artwork!! And the staff all mills around waiting to be helpful. They pull out your chair and push it back in every time you stand up! I swear they would have helped me nurse Max if I needed it!!! Eric is convinced they thought we were VIP’s of some sort with all the attention we got! We are now on our way to DC. It is only about a 45 minute trip so we figured we would head up there and do some sightseeing! Max is hoping to meet the president!

So, we will see Peds Pulmonary tomorrow. She will review Max’s sleep study and assess his breathing. We see her at 2:30pm and then will get on the road to head back home. We miss Aiden and Emmi immensely!! It is tough to be away from them even for a day, but I know they are in good hands at home.

Well, that is all for now. I will update again after pulmonary tomorrow. Have a great day!!

SLEEP STUDY RESULTS ARE IN!!

Well, we got the results of Max’s sleep study and it was overall very reassuring. No significant breathing issues at all at this time. Yeah Max!! So, at this point no issues with the MRI or the sleep study!!

Hooray! They were able to set up an appointment with Peds Pulmonary at Johns Hopkins for next week too! But, it is on Wednesday at 2:30...so we will be driving down on Monday and not coming back until late on Wednesday night. But, I am so relieved to be seeing the neurosurgery and the pulmonary specialists who know about achons specifically. I so hope to be reassured that things are ok. Max is so much more alert and awake now and he is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! What a blessing he is :-) Aiden and Emmi adore him.

Emmi has been so adorable the past several days. She has been a real mommy's helper. We say that we are in the "Girls Club" and we even have our own handshake (very silly handshake). She loves to just hang out and shop. Max is an honorary member of the "girls club" because he needs mommy to eat...she loves that he gets to come along everywhere.

Aiden is rounding out his first full week of first grade and he comes home each day with a smile on his face. So far he is really enjoying it. Thank goodness!! He is so smart. I am amazed everyday at how much he knows and how far he has come on his reading. He LOVES math and is really quite good at it.

Things here are starting to get into a routine. I have actually COOKED dinner this week...this is so unlike me!! hahahaha! And the kids have been getting to bed at a reasonable time (except Max of course...but he did sleep for a 5 1/2 hour stretch last night! yeah Max!!). Hopefully things go well at Johns Hopkins next week and we at least come home knowing if there are any issues and what we need to do next. (Praying for no issues and nothing major to do next--would love any additional prayers for this too!!)

Will keep posting pictures and updates soon!!

Well, Max is sleeping so I have a little time to update everyone. It has been a busy week. Max had his "feed and wrap" MRI last Thursday. He was a champ and slept through it!! He only moved a little but they were able to get the pictures without sedation :-) The neurologist emailed me and said the MRI didn't show any significant cord compression but that they had suggested other images...she was on vacation and was going to go and read it with the neuroradiologist this week and find out more... The wording no SIGNIFICANT cord compression bothers me... there either IS compression or there ISN'T!...I will try to get in touch with the neurologist today...

He also had a sleep study last Friday night...What luck that was. I called to schedule it and they gave me September 21st. That seemed like an eternity away so I asked if they had a cancellation list I could put our name on and he said yes. Then he said, "actually, we have an appointment tonight." It was 4:30pm and we needed to be there at 7:30pm and Eric was in Austin!! But, Max and I made it there and had the study done. I could not believe how many wires he was hooked up to! I would guess no less than 20! Poor little guy. He had such a hard time nursing because so many of the electrodes were on his head and face. I was so glad to be out of there in the morning. I brought him home and the kids, daddy and I gave him a nice warm bath to get all the goo off of him! They should have the results of the sleep study today. Hoping it was all ok!

We are going to Johns Hopkins this coming Tuesday to be seen by Genetics and Peds Neurosurgery and hopefully Peds Pulmonary. I am so looking forward to going and seeing doctors who deal with Achondroplasia all the time. I love my pediatrician but Max is his first achon patient. He has done tons of research though and I really appreciate that. I need reassurance from doctors that know what is normal for Max and what isn't. At least if they do find something to be so concerned about, there will be a game plan as to what we need to do next. We are taking his x-rays, MRI and sleep study results to be reviewed by the doctors there. Aiden and Emmi will stay home since Aiden has started FIRST GRADE already!!

I will keep you all posted on how things go next week. I hope to get time more frequently to update this blog...Max controls my time these days...he EATS nonstop!!! Oh, by the way, he weighed 10# 3 oz yesterday at his pediatrician visit!! What a chunk!! :-)

Well, we got our MRI today. Amazingly, Max slept well last night. I basically had to force feed him at 2am because I knew I wasn't able to feed him after that until right before the MRI at 7:30 am. Then he went back to sleep until 4:45am. When we got to the hospital, he was REALLY hungry and was ready to eat! He nursed and fell asleep. He was so cute and looked so small in the MRI scanner. I had swaddled him up in his little swaddler and they tucked him in really snug for the scan. He looked like a little angel :-) It took about 30 minutes and it was so loud! I have never had an MRI and was amazed at how loud it was despite the ear plugs that they gave me. The tech came in and said he did a great job. He moved his head a little once but she was able to redo that picture so she thought it was an acceptable scan. Hopefully the radiologist will agree. So now we wait for the results. I hope it looks ok... I am very nervous...

The kids and I gave him another bath out of the deck today. He hates lying on his back in the tub but when I flip him over on his stomach on my arm, he calms right down and seems so happy! I have posted several pictures of him like this. I went to the neighbors tonight for a ladies night out and, of course, he slept all evening for Eric...which means he will probably be up all night for me...I don't mind though...I love spending the time with him.

Well, everyone else is snoozing. I should probably try to get some shut eye, although I know as soon as my head hits the pillow, he will wake up. We have orientation for Aiden tomorrow morning at 8am. He gets to find out who his first grade teacher is and which of his buddies are in his class. How exciting! School starts Monday...summer went so fast... I can't believe my first baby is in first grade already!

G'night!

Emmi LOVES her baby brother!!!

WOW!! He is the CUTEST!!

More Bathtub Pics--Max loves tummytime in the bathtub!!