Recent Doctor's Visits for Cody

On Monday...Cody and I headed to Syracuse to get 2 appointments out of the way.  At our Ortho visit, they moved the wire a little and that was that.  These visits have become quick like that as we are waiting for some adult teeth to come in before we can really start to do much work.  So for now we are maintaining the progress we have made.  The good thing about that is the visit is quick and not that painful for Cody and our time inbetween visits have gotten longer.  We talked about his front teeth.  There is nothing left to these teeth.  They have been worn down as far as they can without disappearing (key word).  Dr. D said we will most likely have to pull these as there is just nothing to grab onto to wiggle them loose.  We left though with a "don't need to see you till March unless something happens".  Awesome!  March...we get the winter off!  Yippee!!!

This is the "progress" we have made!

So after we left Dr. D....we headed down the road for our 6 month check up with Dr. Tatum.  He noticed that his scars were a little pink and asked about that but I told him those only get really pink when Cody has a cold.  He checked out his ears and the right ear we need to keep our eye on.  He couldn't see the tube, saw some fluid and when he did the tympanogram he wasn't liking what he saw.  So he said to watch for ear infections and if we happen to notice the volume of the TV going up.  The tubes may need to be replaced.  After all, these tubes he has had in since he was 2.  Pretty good tubes if you ask me.  So we will watch it.  Hopefully we will get by till summer when we have our team visit again. 

Fast forward to Tuesday night....Cody says to me "Mom, am I supposed to have a tooth here?".  I turn the light on...."um yah you should".  Where did it go?  That has become the million dollar question.  Where is the tooth!  I could rub my finger on the tooth and feel something.  So I took pictures like Dr. D. told me to do and sent them to him. 

This is his mouth now.  See where the wire stops by the teeth - that tooth is gone.  Look at the picture above and the tooth is there.  So I play some email tag with Dr. D.  He was thinking the tooth fell out - I said no.  So instead of driving for an hour we headed to ur local dentist.  It also gave me a piece of mind that I wasn't crazy.  This tooth just didn't fall out.  She took x-rays and sure enough, there is the tooth - IN HIS GUM!  So I emailed Dr. D back this picture:

You see two rows of teeth.  The top teeth are his adult teeth.  The bottom are the baby.  You can see the wire and above that is the tooth in question... "the missing tooth".  So today I talked with Dr. D again.  (Thank god for cameras)  He said that basically as an adult tooth is coming it, it eats away at the root of the baby tooth.  Once the root is gone the baby tooth falls out.  Because Cody's tooth was not a normal shape and did not hang below the gum like a normal tooth it didn't just fall out.  So now we wait for Mother Nature to take it's course and for that big adult tooth above it to move on down and continue to eat away at that baby tooth.  He said that we will probably never have a tooth 'fall out" so now the tooth fairy has to get creative in what we do to honor this tooth.  We will watch the area for any redness or if the wire bother's him.  If nothing we will still go back in March. 

I'm praying for March! 

Oh and if you wanna know the secret to taking that picture of the x-ray......hold it very close to the light bulb and turn off your flash and Presto.....a picture! 

It's been awhile

Wow - it has been a long time since I last wrote on this blog.  Our anniversary.  A whole summer has gone by and a start of school and so much I should of wrote about but didn't.  Over the past couple of weeks I remembered why I started this blog.  It's great to go back and read through things.  What we did, what we saw, what the kids said, doctor's appointments, the list goes on.  I have been tossing around the idea of making a new blog.  I have some how gotten my blog to post to facebook after every post.  While I really don't write anything that I don't care if other's read - what I write is for my benefit.  If other's like to read what we are up to then that is great.  So not sure how long I will keep The Luckey Family but for now it's late and I'm tired and not feeling overly creative to come up with a different name so I'm sticking to this. 

10 Years

10 years ago I became a very "Luckey" lady.....I married my best friend.  It's been a long road.  Like any marriage we have had our ups and downs and had lots thrown at us.  But in the end we have come out on top and still "have it"!  :)  I love him with all of my heart and am so happy that we have the amazing little family that we do and I love watching us grow.  It's an amazing feeling when the kids do something and all it takes is a quick glance to each other to know what the other is thinking. 

I put together a cute video of our last 10 years...really 15 if you count all the dating.  I can't wait to order it and have it to watch at home. 

In doing the video I realized one thing - or rather couldn't find one picture.  However, I am not sure if the picture even exists.  I have a little "family" picture from when Tyler was first born.  You know those shots where mom looks like death but still smiles, a tiny baby so wrapped up you can just see a face and a beaming dad who just did nothing while you pushed for a couple of hours.  lol.  Well, I don't have that little "family" picture from when Cody and Dylan were born.  My heart is really sad about that.  Obviously we didn't have the same type of birth with Cody and Dylan as we did with Tyler - and we got a lot of unexpected things that January day but I still wish we had gotten that picture.  I guess it's one of those things you "shrug" off and obvioulsy move on from.  We did / we have! 

Team Visit

Our morning started early.  Off we went to Syracuse for 2 doctor's appointments.  Nice to get them all done in one trip though.  Today was Cody's yearly team evaluation.  We get to see a slew of doctors and with any luck, walk away with good news.  We got just that!  He did awesome - as always!  He's my big kid and knows he has to go with the flow of things.  First up for the day was dental x-rays and molds.  He did the x-rays and all is well.  We got in the room to do the molds and I told her he had a palate expander in his mouth.  She continued.  I could of told her it wasn't going to work - but hey, I'm not the hygenist.  She mixes it up and in it goes on top.  As he is gagging and hating it but keeping his cool, she pulls it out and YEP, it didn't take.  All of that goop is all stuck to his expander.  We are trying to get it out, not pretty!  Come to find out after our visit with Dr. Dillingham, he had told them to do the x-rays and molds but he said he didn't think he had to tell them to put WAX on the expander so the stuff wouldn't stick to it.  I really am still ticked about that.  Then she did the bottom teeth.  I joked that maybe his loose tooth would fall out.  Sure enough - the mold came out with the tooth in it.  Glad the tooth is out...he likes to hang onto them for dear life.  Dr. Tatum was next although we didn't get to see him.  He got called into a meeting.  The guy that filled in for him was OK however, I didn't get the warm and fuzzy when he didn't even know who Dr. Dillingham was.  Thankfully I really didn't have any major concerns.  Cody has been dorment for surgery for a few years now.  I just know that will change.  It's not "if"...it's "when".  They are thinking bone graft at 8 and jaw surgery at 15-16....of course these are estimates and who knows maybe we will dodge the bullet a 100% and not need either.  Hard to say but not likely that will happen.  Hearing is perfect, met with gentics - nothing new from them, got his pictures taken.  I realized that my kids can't have a camera in front of them and NOT smile!  :)  OOps!  Met with Speech.  Eileen is very happy with him.  He's having a hard time with the /s/ sound still and the /f/ and /v/ sound.  These have a lot to do with placement of tonge and teeth and jaw and all of those go against Cody right now.  So we will practice. 

We had a few hours to kill until we met with Dr. Dillingham so we ate lunch and hit up Target.  Target is where I realized why I DO NOT shop with my husband.  OMG!  He was looking for a backup pair of swim shorts and it took forever.  And he thinks I'm bad to shop with. 

Dr. Dillingham's visit went good.  He moved the wire and bonded it to help push out the front teeth so they stop wearing on the bottom teeth.  Now that Cody has lost the bottom front 2...we can't have his upper teeth wearing on the bottom and causing damage.  He filed down a front baby tooth that is basically dead.  We are waiting on the upper 6 year molars to come in.   He's getting his bottom two now.  When the uppers come in - we will switch out expanders and he will start to wear the head gear.  Time line for that is in about 9-12 months.  Until then, we maintain what we have.  We did find that a piece of the expander wire has broke.  We both think it happened at the dental clinic with the mold disaster.  UGH!  So he repaired what he could and we'll have to watch it.  We don't see him till October! 

I got an awesome shot of the inside of Cody's mouth today...but have to wait to post the picture as I just packed my camera cord. 

And our teacher is....

We are anxiously awaiting to see who the boys teachers will be for next year.  Of course we haven't gotten Cody and Dylan's yet....but Tyler's came the other day.  I am soooo happy he got Mrs. Cluck.  Same teacher that Cody had.  I loved both of the boys but I think Tyler will mesh well with her.  So we will wait to see who the other two have and then it's the daunting task of back to school shopping!  Oh who am I kidding...I love to shop!  :)

Cody's Endo visit

Today was Cody's endo visit...our last one was in September.  He had been doing really good and for a while I just thought this would be a routine visit.  For the most part, it was but I had a couple issues to discuss with the doctor. Cody gets to the point and it's 8 o'clock and the kid needs to sleep.  Which is fine but he seriously lately has been loosing his mind if he can't get to sleep.  So I thought it was odd and night time has become a real chore with him.  Crying, upset, can't sleep - I had no idea what to think or what was going on.  A friend told me that his thyroid could be off.  So today I told Dr. Wu about all the recent over tiredness and explained that not much has changed. If anything, his daily activity has gotten lighter with school being out. You can be more relaxed at home. Dr. Wu said that would explain his blood work. His TSH level is high. Last September it was 2.54 and today it was 5.5. He said that we need to increase his daily dose of medicine but because the range is high at 5.0 and Cody is just over that he is only increasing us a ½ a pill every other day. So every other day he will take 1 and ½ pills and 1 pill on the other day. Probably going to get confusing. He said that before the dose increase he was looking to take us off the med to see if his body had re-adjusted but because of the dose increase we are looking at another 1 to 2 years and then who knows. If we have to increase again then we are probably looking at something more long term. He wants to re-test the blood in 4 weeks and then he’ll let me know. He said he doesn’t need to see me unless those numbers come back really high or higher than we are at today. Right now we go back in Feb.

He said he is growing fine though. He weighed 60lbs and is in the 50th percentile for weight and height. So thankfully this thyroid issue is not affecting his growth. Which is good.

I explained it to Cody – I forget how big of a kid he really is when he has to be. I told him he has to have his blood taken again and he was OK with it. He had a good experience the other day when Brett took him. Matter of fact he just keeps reminding me that I promised him silly bands and haven’t gotten them yet. Although, he said he would take any “toy”, like a Bakugan! :)   I just told him he was so tired and the pills help him not be as tired. And his body needs more of the pills so he won't be so tired. He said “I understand mom, I still love being me”. Yah, I could of cried! 
So I knew something was up with my Cody. He has never had such a hard time falling asleep before. He’s been pretty attached at my hip lately too. And I have no idea why I let others make me feel like I don't know what I'm talking about or doing with him.  I DO know him, I know him like the back of my hand.  I've got this!  We are a great team and even though Brett is there and has been very involved and great with Cody - Brett has always said he trust me 100% when it comes to things with Cody.  So darn it, no more of that.  If I feel like something is wrong - it is going to take a Doctor or more to prove to me that I am wrong! 

Catching Up.

Wow - so much to write about...shame on me for not doing it.  So now I get to search my memory bank and write.  I some how think that only the "important" stuff will still be up there.  :)

Kindergarten Celebration - June 18th.
Such a cute event.  We were quickly told by the principal though that it was a "celebration" and not a "graduation" as Binghamton only has one of those.  Whatever! Really, the school can't recognize the completion of Kindergarten.  They sang lots of songs....Cody and Dylan both had a part in one song.  They held up flash cards through the song.  It was very nice that they stood next to each other for this event.  Because after that - they went to opposite sides and trying to watch 2 kids at one time while they aren't standing next to each - yah, next to impossible.  Cody sang his songs proudly....Dylan sang them as if he was annoyed he had to be doing it.  After the songs and little video/picture presentation we headed to the cafe for cake.  Still can't believe the school year is over and they are now 1st Graders. 

Relay for Life - June 18th
Starting last year my company has organized a team to walk. Last year we did much better with raising money but for our small group we still manager to raise almost $2000.  So that was awesome.  This year we had fantastic weather - no rain - and lots of sun and HOT.  It gives you goosebumps as you stand there and clap as the survivors walk by.  It's a lot of fun to walk, great exercise and raising money for a great cause.  Not to mention it's something you can do with the whole family.  My kids love to walk the track. 

Pre-school Graduation - June 21st
Tyler had his moving up day.  Ty is my shy kid.  Not sure where he gets that from although Brett seems to think he was shy when he was younger.  I'll have to see if I can find any truth to this.  Cause lord knows he's not shy now.  They sang a couple of songs and Tyler finally started singing the second song.  They wore cute little blue graduation hats.  I thought I had a hard time with C&D moving up - I really can't believe my baby is going off to school in September.  That doesn't seem possible at all! 

Tyler's Birthday - the big #5!
After a quick trip to Cuba for a graduation party, we came home on Sunday to celebrate Tyler's birthday.  He choose to have a batman birthday party.  Although if you asked him what he wanted it was Toy Story everything. :)  We had a small gathering, had invited the preschool class and was expected 4 kids to show up plus or normals.  Well here is a big pet peeve of mine - if you RSVP you are coming and then don't come - you need to call.  It's so rude!  That happened with 3 kids.  UGH.  So then as we are about a 1/2  hour into the party doesn't a kid show up - that we had no idea was coming.  OK, whatever - glad he came as Tyler and him really did get a long great this year.  However, he shows up with no gift.  Not even a card.  Now it's not about the presents but really not even a little something.  $5, whatever!  So I thought maybe the mom would bring a card back with her when she came to pick him up....nope!  Then she had the nerve to tell me that she'll be inviting Tyler to his party in August. Yah, we aren't going!  But we had fun, fun, fun and the weather was awesome.  The kids played and jumped on the trampoline and we had cake and ice cream and it was great.  He had a smile all day and that's what counts. 

So now we are onto a busy next couple of weeks and I'm thinking the month of July will fly.  I am silently hoping anyways....as we head for our family vacation the first part of August!  :)

Get out the Video Camera!!!!

Back a while ago, like not long after the boys were born...we invested in a video camera.  We got a nice one because the one we had (a wedding gift) was old and outdated and we wanted to have a great camera to capture all the moments with twins.  Like any new toy we used it and loved it and vowed we would have it forever and always have the great moments on tape.  Then reality kicked in - we had twins and a single baby not long after - we were out numbered 3 to 2 and who the heck had time to grab a video camera.  :)  We were lucky to get out of the house with everything we needed and forget it if we were coming to your house - we were definitely not leaving with everything. 

Well my sister had been telling me (as her kids love to watch themselves on TV) that we needed to get out our camera.  Tomorrow is the big Kindergarten graduation and there is no way I won't have that on tape.  So last night, after the boys were in bed - Brett and I got it out.  It is a nice camera.  Some cords still had the twist-ties on them like how it came packaged.  We have 2 new tapes, some other tapes that until we watch them will we know what is on it.  It might not be top of the line today but it's still a nice camera.  So we plugged it in to charge and realized there was a tape in it.  We turned it on.  It was Cody and Dylan's 3rd birthday.  It was AMAZING to hear their little voices and to see them walking around.  I had tears in my eyes just thinking at how much they have grown.  There Brett and I sat in the kitchen with the camera on the counter and each of us in a kitchen chair watching a tiny camera screen.  Just watching and laughing at how little they were. 

So from that moment on I have made a pledge that the camera will be out and we will get all of these life events on camera.  I can't wait to watch some of the other tapes.  And the next time the two batteries die - we will recharge them instead of putting the camera away for a couple of years.  So if you have a camera and it works and is put away - get it out and capture those memories!  :)

Sportsmanship

If T-ball had a sportsmanship of the year award - Cody would so win it.  LOL.  He had us all laughing at the game last night.  He played 3rd base.  Now in t-ball there isn't much action.  Most the kids can only hit the ball to about the pitchers mound and with every ball being thrown to first base - if you want the ball you must compete for it.  But Cody went to 3rd and was the resident greeter.  As the kids were running from 2nd he would hold out his hand for a high five slap as they came to 3rd.  Once they reached his base, he engaged in a little general conversation.  No idea what was being said but he talked with em all.  Then he figured out that you can wear your glove on your hand like a bracelet.  It was freaking hysterical to watch him. 

Tyler is busy on the field fighting for the ball.  He loves playing and is doing really good.  He hits great off the tee.  Batting left handed like big brother Dylan.  I have to say he can connect pretty good. 

Then there is Dylan.  Dylan is my competitive one.  He is in the game to play.  He doesn't like to screw around and he's serious about it.  He plays first base most often as he will pay attention.  With that base being the only one getting a ball thrown to it - the kids need to pay attention.  He is great though at sharing the base and taking his turn.  He is hitting really good and the teams have figured him out that when he's up to bat that the kids need to "move back".  He connects really good and has this leg thing he does as he hits.  However, he is very good at telling the kids what to do out in the outfield.  Last night as Brett was standing out and Dylan was next to him - a kid hit the ball and somebody from our team got it.  And at the same time, didn't both Brett and Dylan both point with the same stance telling the team mate to throw it to first.  My sister got a picture and it speaks volumes for the "apple that didn't fall far from the tree". 

Tball has been lots of fun.  Our season ends in a couple of weeks and then it's onto summer.  I think Cody is going to sign up for a soccer camp.  Dylan wants lacrosse and Tyler well he'll do anything to compete with his brother's.  :)

A Twin Thing....maybe!!!!

Over the weekend Cody complained that his bottom tooth hurts.  It's loose but not super loose.  It's going to take a lot more wiggling to come out (and he is in no hurry for his teeth to fall out, just ask him!) He did complain enough though that my sister noticed it too.  So last night as I was sitting on the floor painting my nails....Dylan comes in the house and gets down to my level and says "look Mom" as he has his mouth wide open.  There is his tooth just laying there.  It took Brett one quick tug and it was out. 

I find it very weird that Cody did all of the complaining that his tooth hurt and Dylan is the one that lost his tooth (and never complained it hurt). 

I love these little twin moments!  :)

Kindergarten Screening

Well I have attended my last Kindergarten screening today.  It will be so weird to have all 3 of our boys in school next year.  Today was Tyler's day to shine and as I drove to the school to meet Brett and him, I couldn't help but think of the surprise that he gave us when we found out we were expecting him.  We weren't trying (like we had with the boys), we were very reserved when we found out but we were very excited.  It seems like the last almost 5 years have flown by with him.  At times I look at him and think he is much older than he is.  That is probably because he does or tries to do everything his brother's can.  There are times I don't see the age difference between them. 

We got to the school and he was ready.  He's excited about going to the same school as his brother's.  I was super happy to see Mrs. Cluck standing waiting for him.  (She's Cody's teacher and I love her) She was very anxious to meet him.  Off they went to do their little "testing".  Brett and I sat and watched him through the windows.  We could tell he was nervous...he fidgets when he is nervous.  He's a shy kid.  But he did great and I was so proud of him.  Mrs. Cluck ate him up and said how she could see traits of Cody and Dylan in him.  I think he's a great mix of the two of them.  I've got my fingers crossed that he ends up on her class list for September. 

School starts September 8th but before that.....we have lots of fun stuff to do!  :)  For one, he turns 5 in exactly a month!  Yeah!!!

Toy Boxes

All of the kids in the toy box! Over the weekend my Dad came for a visit. He has been a very busy beaver in his garage building. They were supposed to be done for Christmas but I think my Dad bit off more than he could chew. He wanted to build all 6 of his grandkids the same thing...he decided on toy boxes! It took him forever but all of his hard work paid off cause they turned out FANTASTIC! It was so wonderful to have him build my kids something. For many years every Christmas he would build me something new. I've gotten mirrors, tv stand, corner shelves, sconces, garbage bin holder, magazine rack, shelf, book case and for my wedding he built candle centerpieces..... Unfortunately, the day came and my parents divorced and I never thought I would get another wood thing from him. So when he said he wanted to build the kids something I was so excited. I knew I was getting 3 of them but trust me, we filled them with no problem! I am thankful that my boys will have something of his that they can have forever. Just like I still have the cowboy boot bank that my Grandpa built for me. The toy boxes are huge and are beautiful and are a wonderful addition to the wood working family in my house. He put a shelf on the inside that slides back and forth from side to side. As you open the lid is a plastic piece with pictures behind it that we change out over time.

I am hoping I can convince him to build me end tables next....we shall see!

Extremely Proud

Today was one of those days where you wake up feeling good and some how the day just got better. I got to work and today is/was Admin. Professional Day. Every year my office treats us girls super nice. I found pretty yellow tulips on my desk and a nice card. Then my group got me another wonderful card. Plus there was breakfast and a dunkin donuts gift card. A few of the guys that aren't in my office called and/or sent emails. I'm very thankful for the group I work for. And what better way to end a great morning is to take a 1/2 day! :)

After I left work for the day I headed to the school for our parent/teacher conferences. Brett and I met with Cody's teacher first. Mrs. Cluck had lots of wonderful things to say about him. He is doing fantastic and she said she adores him. She would like to keep him behind a year just so she could have him in her class again. :) She said he is a great role model to the students and is a very detailed worker. He's having a little bit of trouble with the 'h', and 'q' sounds...not sure if it's because of the expander or not but she'll just work on them with him. He is right where he is supposed to be and will be ready for 1st grade. Yes, Brett and I left there smiling... We headed down the hall to Dylan's class. Mrs. Matyas had wonderful things to say about Dylan. He too is doing fantastic. He's improved upon lots of different skills since our last meeting. She says she just loves him to pieces and he is a role model in his class. She feels that he has gotten more confident since the start of school and it's showing in his work. He needs to work a little bit harder on some of his sight words but other than that, he too is ready for 1st grade. We are extremely proud of both of them! Both teachers are anxious to meet Tyler and I am hoping that one of them gets him next year. When I register him I am going to ask if he can be with one of them and then just let the school decide as I do love both of those teachers the same.

To end our day, the boys had dental check ups. All 3 go in and line up in the 3 chairs and I am back and forth discussing teeth. That's when I thank god that Cody is the only in-depth kid. Cody went first. He's got one bottom 6 year molar, the other bottom one is trying to come in. He has a loose front top tooth (which we knew and are trying to wiggle it). It was very neat to see her take on the expander and how well it's working. She noticed the expansion right away. Dylan has 4 loose teeth...yep, the tooth fairy is taking donations.....His 2 tooth and his lateral incisors are loose. He has 3 of his 6 year molars. At the next visit she would like to take a panoramic xray and put sealants on the molars. Tyler has no loose teeth. He got some xrays and just got his teeth cleaned. The dentist was very happy with their oral hygiene and the best news of all NO CAVITIES!!!!

I am one very proud mommy tonight!

I am also a very proud Auntie. Karly was chosen to have an art project put on display at the high school. This isn't the first time she has been selected to have an art project on display. A few others have been on display at the districts main office. This one was special, a clay project and there was a little award presentation. Her clay project was a blueberry muffin. I didn't get to go to see it but I can't wait for pictures. Her art teacher said that she is very artistic and a great role model in class. Her old art teacher was also there and when he saw Karly he said "well, I'm not surprised to see you here". So it looks like Ms. Karly Jane got her Uncle Kevin's artistic ability.....she certainly didn't get it from her mother or Auntie. I can't draw a stick figure.

So proud of all of them! I think an Ice cream celebration is in their future!

Dylan's Sprain

Last night as I was trying to get Dylan and Tyler to come in from outside and they were fighting me to just stay out a 1/2 hour longer. I caved and let them. So instead, I went and did some Wii fit and thought I would call back out to them in a half hour. I wasn't 10 minutes into it when I heard all sorts of crying from outside. Before I could get out there - Tyler was barging in the house with Dylan behind - Dylan was crying hysterically. Got it figured out that Dylan fell and "twisted" his ankle. Took off the shoe and the sock and I could see it was red but that's it. He immediately wasn't putting pressure on it and to the couch he went. He mentioned that he probably wouldn't be able to go to school tomorrow but I told him we would have to see what morning brang.

This morning I got him up and yah..he wasn't going to school. His whole foot was nice and puffy and he couldn't walk on it. He hobbled down the stairs on his butt and to the couch he went. I believed him but also gave the firm warnings that there was no running and playing/no going outside/only to be on the couch or in the chair playing the Wii. He asked for Tylenol and I sort of believed he was hurting. I called and got him a doctor's appointment.

Dylan cracks me up. Couldn't put his shoe on that foot so he has developed this hobble and drag move with his foot. It's cute to watch. As we were waiting a good 20 minutes at the doctor's office, Dylan was becoming annoyed we had to wait so long. He really is his father's son! :) The doctor examined him and sure enough it's a sprain. He said the tendon that runs from the ankle bone along the side of the foot is probably what tore away. He suggested an ace bandage and for him to stay off from it. No gym for 2 weeks and keep with the Ibuprofen for the pain. We got home, got him settled on the couch and Brett wrapped his foot up. Keeping him down is going to be a challenge........ He is a cute patient isn't he?

Tyler's ENT update

Tyler had his 6 month follow up from his last surgery. Ear tubes are looking great. Still in place and nice and open - working just the way they are supposed to. I was anxious for this visit as he was going to have a hearing test. He hadn't had one since 2007 so it's been a while. Even though he told me he wasn't going to do it....he did and he did fantastic. He passed with flying colors. No gray area of concern. She totally made it fun and he loved it. The ENT is very happy and we go back in another 6 months. :) I love these easy appointments!

Falling in love with a new smile, a new face

But I just can not forget the face that we welcomed into the world. This sweet face. Ok, who am I kidding.....there were days that didn't want to look past his eyes. I didn't want to see his lip that way. And yes...I'm ashamed to even type that but it's how I felt at times...not all the time, just sometimes. That first surgery (6 years ago today) is a memory like the day they were born. A memory that I will never forget. So far there has only been two of those moments. The lip and palate surgery....I remember the other 2 but not as vividly. I remember it took 5 hours. I remember the doctor coming to talk with us and telling us that surgery went well and that one of us could go see him. I hated that both Brett and I couldn't go. But we both knew I was the one going. I followed the nurse and rounded the corner and heard him crying. I had NO IDEA what he was going to look like....this was not what I was prepared for!So much bruising and blood. That sweet little face. I wanted the cleft back....He just looked like he was in so much pain. We got up to his room and he was hungry. So Brett prepared the formula and I held him. He would fill a syringe up and I would slowly push it into his mouth. He ate like a champ. Night time was rough. He wanted no part of his crib. So I held him in my arms and we slept. The nurse didn't like it but I really didn't care. We left the next morning to come home. With this surgery also brought us the first time we were away from Dylan. I hated leaving him behind.
We got home and everybody was so anxious to see him. Recovery got better every day. A few days later the steri strip came off and you could really see that new little face. I loved it. I couldn't help but kiss it. He now had 1 whole lip......

Over the years his face has changed and his scars have evened out. Most people look at him and don't even see the scars. I look past them now but at times I still see that wide smile of his. I will never forget where we started on this journey......

Ortho Update - Gum highlight

Cody had another orthodontic visit today and I am so happy that there weren't a lot of tears. A few tears this morning when he woke up but once we got in the car and he was settled in with his DVD and breakfast - he was good to go. We had a morning appointment so Brett could come with us and I am thinking that made a world of difference. I know it did to me...I felt like I had my rock with me and we could share that quick glance during the appointment and know exactly what the other one was thinking.

We did our normal first - put the cheek guards in and took our pictures....

To most of you it looks about the same....his front two teeth are loose. Not really wiggly loose but he told him to wiggle 'em and loosen them up. While looking at the picture above, on the left hand side you can see a bulge in his upper gum...that was where (as a baby) his gum was split in two. Well the dentist said that in that spot is now an adult tooth. Which is really a good thing...where there is a tooth there is bone and that's what we need.

Dr. Dillingham came over and took a look inside and noticed that the wire needed repaired. The spot where it was sottered together had worn down and he needed to fix it. So it had to come out. He popped it out and I could tell Cody was moving his tongue all around in his mouth. It must of felt weird. Then he looks at me and said "Mom, my appliance is out....(pause).....(eyes got really big).....CAN I HAVE GUM"........................OMG...yes, of course! So I called the assistant over and asked and she said sure. Thankfully I had gum in my purse. I gave him a piece and he chewed away. He loved it. The dentist thought it was wonderful. I explained to them how he has been so good and understand at what he can and can't have. How at times he has a meltdown and just wants to eat sticky food. So chewing gum is a big deal. I got out my camera to capture him chewing and the dentist wanted a picture too. He suggested holding up the gum pack. Here is my SUPER HAPPY boy chewing his G.U.M......

Those 10 minutes went by quick. He spit the gum out and back in the appliance went. He did great getting it back in, no tears! He was so proud of himself too as he reminded his Dad later that he didn't cry. Dr. D is very happy with his brushing habits (yep, patting myself on the back), and the great thing is we don't have to go back for 8 weeks...which just so happens to be my birthday! :) Thinking that trip if it's nice will be a Zoo day!!!

Happy Easter

My Dad, the boys and I at Easter Breakfast....

Tyler's cool new sunglasses

Dylan got some awesome Monster Jam swim shorts....he LOVED them!!!

Cody was in Bakugan heaven!!! New battle gear, new volume 6 DVD, and new jammies....

All the kids lined up for the egg hunt...(well except Dylan as he took a spill in the yard and had a bummed knee...and maybe a little embarrassment going on too...but grandma got him some eggs....) Finally...we had a Easter that was nice weather. I remember last year having an egg hunt outside and the kids did it so fast cause it was freezing out. Mother nature was good to us and we had warm weather!

This Easter we were in Cuba. The Bunny didn't forget where we were and 3 little boys were so happy for that. It was fun for them to search for their baskets in a different house. Although I think the Bunny could of hid them harder. ;) Saturday morning the boys had us up and out of the house. I had a baby shower to go to and Brett and the boys stayed behind. Baby Shower was for a little girl....I loved all the pink....but only enough to want "pink" for a minute and then I quickly reminded myself how much "blue" I have at home and that's all I can handle. :) After the shower, we went to Aunt Joyce's for an egg hunt, good food, and lots of laughs. It was our first egg hunt with all of them and the boys had a lot of fun and I think the girls did a great job!

Sunday morning the boys were up and ready to find those baskets. Once they find them...which took about 2 seconds....they tore into them. That bunny is so smart and got them lots of stuff they can use this summer in Virginia. After baskets, we met my Dad at Sprague's for breakfast. I love breakfast! It was nice to visit with him. Darn hormones...they certainly got the best of me. But I'll blog about emotions some other time. We had a wonderful Easter dinner at Grandma Holden's. The boys had so much fun playing with the kids and of course more laughs.

Such a fun, fun weekend with family!

Catching up from the weekend....

This past weekend seem to be a busy one. However, I am finding that most all of our weekends are busy. Friday night we got to celebrate with my sister as she turned another year older. We had a great fish dinner/yummy cake and presents. 41 doesn't look bad on her at all! :) (She'll be so happy I shared that)

Saturday we woke up to a decent day and promised the kids an egg hunt. We've gone to this hunt just about every year and it's a lot of fun. Although, this year Karly was too old to participate she still managed to "help" her cousins and get a couple eggs for herself. They separated the kids by age group and even though Connor and Tyler weren't supposed to be together - Connor came over and hunted with his buddy! Heck, looking at the two of them you would have no idea who is older and who is younger. My kids were cursed with the short stick!

After the hunt, we headed to the mall for our yearly photo with the bunny. If I hadn't have started this tradition with them when they were babies we wouldn't have done it. $9.00 is the going rate for a picture with the bunny and it's crazy! He's more than Santa. AND that's just for 1 picture. But I guess my boys will soon enough grow out of this so we do it and I love to line the pictures up on my shelf to see them grow every year.

We are heading to Cuba for the Easter holiday. Looking forward to a baby shower I get to go to and a yummy dinner and just good/fun company. The weather is looking wonderful so that will certainly help and allow the boys to get outside and be boys, get dirty, go to the barn...oh who am I kidding.......I won't like the "getting dirty" part....that requires more work for me!

....bully...update!

Thanks to all of those that read and commented on my previous blog post. (I don't mean for all of my blog writings to come over to facebook but somehow I turned that feature on and can't figure out how to turn it off). However, since it does it also has allowed me to get great feed back from other's that have walked these shoes. And if you don't know me....that means a lot to me.

Anyway, I talked to Cody's teacher this morning when I dropped them off at school. She agreed with me and my request but said that her hands were some what tied as the student who did it was not in her class. Last night as I was going through Cody's bag I found that he had a nurses note so I felt that if the teachers knew, the nurse knew...the principal should know. Punching is a pretty big deal. He (the principal) agreed with me! He was not happy. He was concerned as to where the 4 aids were that are outside with the Kindergartners. He asked for the story and who the child was. I shared what I knew and he promised me he would get to the bottom of it. He felt that a good punishment would be to take away recess time. I agreed. It happened on the playground - so take the playground away. That is what happened. I am hoping the parents were notified and I really hope that the little boy understands that you can't punch somebody else.

Cody seems fine today. He didn't give me a fuss about going to school this morning. I honestly think that Dylan is more ticked off about it. As I was putting Dylan to bed tonight, he told me that he asked "boy J" why he punched his brother and the kid didn't answer. :) Dylan is a very big protector of his brothers. He might want to smack them around but don't let anybody else. :) That my friends, it just what it means to be brother's!