Lately

Cora

• Has started to smile this week, yay!!! I wasn't sure if it was the real deal since she often sleeps with her eyes open but I get a small smile about once a day now. I'll take what I can get, it's so cute!
• She's got a bad rash all over her body. I first noticed little bumps on her legs last week, just a few, nothing major. But come Sunday it spread all over her and the ones on her arms and stomach are red patches. I took her in to Dr. Keblawi and he said it is not an allergic reaction to her reflux medicine. (I was convinced that's what it was because she was also spitting up a lot more than usual). He said something is irritating the hair follicles so it's topical. I've racked my brain wondering what things I've changed and can't think of any. I'm wondering if it's the dryer sheets I use so this week is a game of finding and eliminating the source. He also added an additional reflux medicine to help her spittiness.
• She still sleeps a lot. Yesterday Mom texted me to see how Cora's rash was doing but I didn't know because she just sleeps all the time. I have to wake her every time to eat, even in the mornings.
• She's slept through the night for the past 2-3 nights. I am excited about this, naturally, but also concerned still because she just sleeps constantly.

Kimball

• Is such a boy. The end.

Lance

• Still enjoys his job which is great. He still enjoys being in the bishopric and singing barbershop. Nothing really changes with him.

Becky

• I have finally decided to get out a little home decor, this duplex is a little boring without some kind of personality on the walls.
• Downton Abby's season finale was on Sunday and I'm going to miss it. Mostly because my group of friends get together every week to watch it. Sort of a mini girls night. I'm really going to miss that.
• I got a new calling and am the RS VT coordinator. It should be interesting but I'm anxious to serve in some kind of capacity again, it's been a year since I've had a calling.

Never Rides Without The Hat

This Kid

I don't know about this boy sometimes!

My Munchkins

Cora with her little skirt I just made for her! And a huge headband, haha. A friend in the ward made it for her and it goes so well with the skirt.

I tried to get a sibling picture but Kimball was not having any of it.

Smell My Feet

Continuing Education

It's a wise decision to go to college and get a degree. I finished two years, the first year was generals and the second year was the start of what was then called Computerized Bookkeeping. I finished one year of that program and then married Lance. I never went back to finish my degree.

And now here I am. I'm 28 years old with no degree and two kids. What about school? I don't even have a desire to go back to school and have no idea what in the world I'd get a degree in. I've always worked as an office manager, even up until the day Kimball was born and then I quit to be a stay at home mom. I absolutely love being a stay at home mom. My kids bring me pure joy and laughter, even frustration at times. But I wouldn't trade it for a six figure income or any other income besides endless kisses, pint sized hand holding, and soft hugs.

I've decided that I can still continue my education at home and I don't mean finishing school online. My education now is learning how and doing my best at raising these children and keeping house. Our theme this year in RS is Back to Basics. In January we were taught how to make homemade rolls (I'm SOOO disappointed I missed this class but we were visiting home at the time). This month we learned how to sew pillowcases which was taught yesterday. It was so much fun! I call our teacher Grandma and she is absolutely phenomenally talented. I really didn't know what fabric to pick for the pillowcases because no beds in our house need any but I still wanted to learn how to make them. I decided to make some for Kimball so I chose Cars fabric because he's in love with Mater. Anyway, it was such a great class! Needless to say Kimball now carries his pillow all around the house.

I found a tutorial on Pinterest a few months ago called the circle skirt and I gave it a go. I made this all by myself, I didn't even have to facetime Mom! It's so funny because the skirt is seriously about 5" wide, it's so little but it fits Cora really well. This tutorial was so easy, I'm glad I was able to do it and will probably make several more in the future for her!

As I continue my education I'm looking forward to more baking, sewing, mending, cleaning, cooking, organization, time management, personal finance, raising righteous children, caring for a marriage, and being a devoted disciple. I'm anxious to put my studies to use and I love my job!

Every Little Boy's Dream

Of Things That Matter Most

"Brothers and sisters, indeed we have great reason to rejoice. If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most."

- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Welcome Grady!

Brad and Heather had their baby! He was a whopping 9.10 lb and stayed in the NICU for a bit due to low blood sugar. However he is home now and we are so happy!

PS

We don't have doctor appointments for the next two and a half weeks! What are we going to do with our time?! (And sanity)

She Tugs At My Heart Strings

My poor baby! She had quite a difficult time at the doctor, I felt so bad for her! We got the blood test results that Dr. Keblawi ordered. The only two I remembered specifically were thyroid and anemia. At any rate, everything came back normal so we still don't have an answer as to her fatigue. 

Also her stats for this week were 23.5" and 11.10 lb.

Speechless

Neuro and Cardio Follow Ups

I've seen a pretty big difference with Cora being on the infant Zantac. She's still only eating the minimum ounce volume per day but at least she's getting that and is still gaining weight. The few changes I noticed last week have not improved.

Monday was Cora's appointment with the pediatric Neurologist, Dr. Reggin. When Cora was in the NICU they did an ultrasound of her brain and found a few cysts so this appointment was to follow up with that concern. After reviewing her conditions, doing a physical evaluation, and again reviewing the ultrasound, Dr. Reggin ordered an MRI of her brain. The ultrasound just has too many shadows and the MRI will give better clarity and detail. He also wants to check each structure of the brain to ensure no abnormalities there. The MRI is scheduled for next month.

In doing the physical evaluation Dr. Reggin said she's "not as responsive as I'd like to see." That wasn't news to me, those were a few of the concerns I already had from the previous week. I did mention to him that her eyes don't focus or track very well and that she's also got a wandering eye. He looked a little closer at her eyes and recommend that we take her to a pediatric Ophthalmologist. That appointment is scheduled for next month.

Tuesday was Cora's appointment with the cardiologist to follow up my concerns from the previous week, particularly her fatigue. Dr. Burg did a limited echo and found the fatigue is not connected with the heart problems. Neither heart defect should make her tired like that. Bummer, now where do I go from here? Dr. Burg said Cora's pulmonary stenosis has worsened but not to the point of intervening with surgery, it isn't worth the risks at this point yet. The ASD is still there and "moderate in size" but not of concern right now. She slightly hinted that maybe the fatigue is a developmental issue with the brain and recommend I take Cora to the Guild School for a developmental evaluation. That appointment is scheduled for next month as well as her follow up with Dr. Burg to determine if surgery is yet needed for the pulmonary stenosis.

We're now seeing five different specialists for various things. In receiving all of this news I was pretty discouraged, especially on Monday. It's like going to the dentist for a check up and finding that you have cavities, need a root canal and crown, and need other teeth pulled. It's discouraging and that's the best word to describe it. Simply discouraging. I'm still optimistic and hopeful that everything will be ok but it's still very hard at the same time.

Good Morning!

Finding Joy Through Loving Service

"Brothers and sisters, the gospel of Jesus Christ is simple, no matter how much we try to make it complicated. We should strive to keep our lives similarly simple, unencumbered by extraneous influences, focused on those things that matter most."

- M. Russell Ballard

Absolutely Adore Her

He Takes After His Dad

Spokane Friends

Cora and Sydney, 3 weeks apart

Old Pictures

A coworker emailed these pictures to Lance this week. These are from the work Christmas party, Cora was 2 weeks old.

 His boss, Karen, is in the middle kneeling with her husband.

The Atonement Covers All Pain

Elder Orson F. Whitney wrote: "No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. ... It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire."

- Kent F. Richards

Ready, Break

Just got home from a little girls night. I so needed that!

A Little Worried

Since Cora's cardio and pediatric doctor appointments last week I started noticing a few minor changes in her. The biggest one being that she would sleep right after eating. No awake/floor/play/wiggle time. None at all whatsoever. I thought maybe it was just from her shots so I decided to give it a few days but come Monday I didn't see any improvement. It started to worry me so I decided to call the cardiologist to see if her heart conditions would cause her to be more tired from working over time. She said it wouldn't but that she would be doing clinicals next week and could do a limited echo on Cora herself and suggested I make an appointment for next week. She said to follow up with Cora's primary doctor.

I then called her pediatrician and left a few messages. Four o'clock came and I hadn't received a phone call back so I started to get more worried and called to speak with the pediatrician's nurse. She told me a few things to watch for overnight and that the doctor would call me first thing in the morning.

In the morning Lance drove my car to work because he didn't have time to put the chains on his car. I was a little bummed out because the car seats were in my car and that meant I couldn't go to the playgroup at the mall. Oh well, it's not the end of the world. Right after I told Lance to forget about switching me cars, the pediatrician returned my call and wanted to see Cora. (This was yesterday). So I called Lance back and told him I needed the car ASAP.

Dr. Keblawi (we call him Dr. Kaboom) checked her over and listened to her heart several times. He couldn't hear the murmur getting louder/worse so he wasn't too concerned about that. He asked about her eating and I didn't realize it until he asked, but she was eating less. The last 3-4 days she went down to 4 oz and the last 1-2 days she went down to 3 oz. He wasn't worried enough to put an iv in her but is definitely concerned about her eating, the recent appetite just isn't enough. Especially with her body burning more calories because of her heart conditions.

He told me to document and keep monitoring her feedings, wet diapers, spit up, etc. and prescribed an infant Zantac for her acid reflux. (Which turned out to be $88 for one month! Thank goodness for insurance). He wasn't too concerned at all with her sleeping so much during the day nor was he concerned about the milestones. (She doesn't smile or laugh). He also ordered the two results of her newborn screening since it wasn't in her chart and ordered some additional blood tests. He wants to make sure none of that has changed and that there isn't an underlying issue. The blood-takers had to poke her three times, the flow just wasn't enough to get a good draw and they ultimately didn't end up with enough for the more insignificant tests. That means she's dehydrated. Even more important that I document her feedings so she doesn't start to lose weight.

I don't know if I'm overly paranoid about her health. I seem to jump to conclusions with minor changes like this which probably won't amount to anything at all. I guess I watch for the little things because of the cysts on her brain and her heart conditions; I don't know how major those are or if their severity has changed. Regardless, I'm glad I took her in. Better to be safe than sorry. I'm so, SO thankful for her awesome pediatrician!

My poor sweet girl was so tuckered out and all bandaged up after the appointment, makes me so sad!

Long Distance Love

I have a love/hate relationship with technology. But I love the fact that we can Facetime Grandma! (Especially when I'm in the middle of a sewing project and need her "hands on" help).

Win Win

Do you see those little wet footprints? I'm sure one day I'll miss those.

 At least once a week Kimball drenches himself, the chair, and the entire kitchen with water.

 He loves to pull up a chair and will play for hours with various kitchen cups and spoons in a trickle of water. It turns out, a trickle adds up to puddles and puddles add up to floods.

 BUT.......he's happy and now I don't have to mop the floor or give him a bath.  :)

Looky, Looky

This little boy didn't see his Dad for two days this week, thanks to work. And it turns out Daddy isn't very good at putting the treats away, Kimball found them on the counter and was quite proud of himself. Skittles before bed? Why not.

Peanut Butter Cookies

This is how we remedy colds around here, Cox style.

And yes, that's a real picture of my peanut butter cookies! Looks can be slightly deceiving, they were a bit dry. And as usual for myself, the dough was better than the cookie. Unfortunately I think Kimball may have learned that from me.

Oh Mr. Sun

These -15 degree temperatures really make me miss our Charleston, SC days.

Two Month Checkup

I absolutely LOVE our pediatrician! It's so nice to finally have a doctor who will take the time to listen and answer questions without rushing through everything. Cora had her two month checkup on Wednesday. She weighs 11 pounds and is 23.5" long. She's really grown since being released from the NICU, doubling her weight and gaining 4-5" in length.

Mu suspicions were correct, she does have mild acid reflux and is colic. The doctor switched her formula to one specifically designed to help with spit up, if that doesn't work then he'll prescribe an infant Zantac for her. The colic is just in the evenings from 4-11pm and there's nothing I can do about that, of course.

He reviewed the cardiologist and geneticist visits/notes with me just to follow up and be sure they're staying on top of her issues. I had a lot of questions for him about various things so we spent probably 45 minutes just on those.

I'm so thankful for good doctors and modern medicine. I always have been but I've grown tired of doctors having been to my fair share for myself and Cora these last few months. But my faith is always restored when I have a really great doctor visit like with our pediatrician. I always leave there comfortable and confident in my mothering abilities, like I really am doing the right things. It's so refreshing to have a doctor like that.

Ahhh

We were invited to a few super bowl parties on Sunday. We only went for the company, we could've cared less about the game as anyone could guess. This is how Lance "watched" the game.