Having A Ball!

Friday was Lainey's 11 month clinic visit. She is finally in the GREEN!!! She was 20 pounds and .02 ounces! Her length was 28 1/2 inches, putting her BMI in the 50th percentile. The antibiotics she has been taking seem to be doing the trick. Dr. Caplan said her lungs sound clear! Yea! We will begin introducing Pediasure, again. This time we will put a little at a time into her bottle to gradually wean her from the formula. I will also begin introducing a sippy cup. It is a pet peeve of mine to see kids older than 15 months drinking out of a bottle, therefore I must begin working with Lainey. Dr. Caplan said that Lainey will come back next month for her 1 year checkup, then we can begin scheduling appointments a little further apart! I won't know what do not having to go to the CF Center every month!

As for now, all of Lainey's meds will stay the same. The only change in Lainey's routine is to begin introducing Pediasure.....after she finishes the antibiotics. Dr. Caplan is unsure about introducing whole milk since it only has 20 calories and due to the milk protein allergy Lainey had when she was in the hospital. We are hoping that she continues to gain a lot of weight now that she is eating table foods. Lainey is taking a liking to french fries ~ salty and fattening ~ just what the doctor ordered!

Lainey and Gigi

A not-so-happy Lainey! She was ready for everyone to leave her alone!

Lainey was a happy girl after everyone quit "bothering"her!

On Wednesday, Logan began PeeWee T-Ball! Although it is called PeeWee, Logan was not so "PeeWee" looking compared to the other children! This team is for 4 and 5 year old boys and girls. Logan just turned 5 but looks like an eight year old out on the field! After practice he said, "Mom I love t-ball and I learned a lot!" Unfortunately Liam is too young to play t-ball. He wanted to play with the big kids so bad that he threw a major fit! When all of the t-ball kids were off the field, my dad (aka Papa the Coach) called him out and told him to run around all of the bases! He was faster than any of the other kids! It was awesome because he crashed when we put him to bed!

Logan is wearing Papa's blue hat. They were learning to catch ground balls.

Liam played on the playground while Logan practiced!

Logan telling his new friends that his "name tag says that his name is Logan, but it is really Peter!" He wants his name to be Peter because he wants to be like Peter Pan!

On Saturday morning the Gainesville Parks and Recreation had their annual T-Ball, Softball, Baseball parade! It took longer to get the teams in groups than it did to see the complete parade from start to finish, but Logan had a blast. Liam and Lainey enjoyed watching their big brother walking in the parade!

Dawson and Logan at the parade.

There were 520 kids and 100 volunteer coaches!

Logan dancing to the music the DJ was playing!

Lainey watching all of the kids!

In addition to the fun time we had at the parade, my mom and I headed to a bridal shower and my dad took the boys to the park. Lainey was the hit of the party! Of course she smiled at everyone and chowed down on the homemade french toast!

This next week brings a lot of fun and not-so-fun things! Not-so-fun ~ CRCT testing! My first grade students will have to take a three hour test on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. BLAH! It is so hard for them to sit still for that long, since we only get one break in the middle of the test each day. Also, progress reports go home on Thursday, so I have a lot of work ahead! Fun ~ Lainey will be 11 months tomorrow. Time is flying by! Liam's birthday is Friday! I can't believe he will be 3! Liam is also going on a field trip to Elachee Nature Center with his day care class. We have been telling him that he will be able to go to camp this summer at Elachee if he goes pee pee and poo poo on the potty! Hopefully this trip will encourage him to use the potty so I can catch a break with buying diapers! This week also brings a wedding. My brother-in-law's brother is getting married. We love Chris and Kelly and are very excited for the two of them! It seems like just yesterday when they got engaged (although it was really July 4th)! The best thing of all ~ Sid's long clinical days are over! From now until he graduates, his clinicals will be 8 hours, so he will be finished with school Monday through Thursday by 3:00 in the afternoon! Now he will be able to go to Logan's t-ball practice and spend more time with the kids and I.

For now, I am off to my busy week! I will post pictures from our many events hopefully by Sunday!

DeAnn

Hoppy Easter!

On Thursday I took the children to the mall for a picture with the Easter Bunny. By the time I had all of the kids dressed and we were walking out the door, Sid drove up. He was suppose to be completing his 12 hour clinical at our local Immediate Care, but was sent home due to illness. He complained about having a really bad headache on Wednesday, but it was so bad that it caused him to get sick. We left him to sleep in a quiet house while visiting with the Easter Bunny.

Even though the line was not very long, we had to wait FOREVER while the mother in front of us required at least 15 photos to be taken of her 1 child...his shirt was crooked, his hair was sticking up, his smile wasn't as big as she thought it should be, the bunny's bow was not formed properly, Blah, Blah, Blah! My kids were great even though we had to wait forever. When my kids were finally on the Easter Bunny's lap, Liam was not up for having his picture taken. Unlike the mother in front of me, I chose one of the first pictures taken and we were out of there!

Waiting in line to see the Easter Bunny.

The Smithson Children with the Easter Bunny 2009

At 3:30 am on Friday, Sid drove himself to the ER. My parents were out of town and I did not want to drag the kids to the ER at that time of day. I hated that he had to take himself, but I think Sid enjoyed the peace and quiet at the ER versus our house! After giving him a lot of fluids, a CT scan, morphine, and numerous other drugs, Sid was diagnosed with a "really bad" sinus infection! My friend Jenn came over to watch the children at 10:30 so that I could pick Sid up from the ER! We are glad to have him feeling better.......because when he is sick, it is like having 4 kids!

On Saturday Lainey began to sound very congested. You could feel the rattling by putting your hand over her chest. She was already on her second week of Bactrim and she sounded worse than before taking any additional medications. After calling Dr. Caplan, he called in another, much stronger prescription....Problem: too late to get the new medication because the pharmacy was closed! Needless to say, Lainey coughed ALL night! I barely slept because I was so worried about her. Lainey NEVER coughs and if she does, she is either faking (mocking my mom) or she is choking on food or formula. I caught myself checking her video baby monitor off and on every half an hour to an hour. After some intense chest physio therapy, she sounded much better.

Logan and Liam decided that their Easter Baskets should go on the rug in front of the door. This picture is after the Easter Bunny visited our house! The Easter Bunny knows that the boys do not need a bunch of candy and would rather have a few new toys! Lainey got some baby food and a movie...Logan decided the movie was really for the whole family, Lainey just had more room in her basket! Sid also got some goodies from Mrs. Bunny.....a huge jar of Gourmet Jelly Beans and some chocolate candies!

The boys were so excited about their Easter basket goodies! They played for a while before we got ready for church! We were actually on time for church! Getting three kids dressed and fed, myself dressed and fed, loaded into the car, and to church on time by myself is a HUGE deal! It felt great to sit down once I got settled into the pew....although we were practically sitting on top of each other! Lainey loved being in church with all of the music as well as sitting next to her Gigi and Papa! After church, my parents, my sister and her family, and the kids and I went to IHOP to eat. YUMMY!

Lilly Anne eying some sausage!


Lainey waiting on her food.

Logan sporting his shark necklace (no he did not wear a t-shirt to church, I made him change before going to eat strawberry syrup!)

Lainey scarfing up egg and pancake!

After eating a yummy brunch at IHOP we all went back to Gigi and Papa's house. The Easter Bunny brought a gift to their house.....another movie for the boys! The boys watched movies while the rest of us hung out and took a few pictures!

Brad, Dayna, and Lilly Anne

Lainey and Gigi

The Girls!

Lainey, me, Gigi, Lilly Anne, and Dayna

(This is a good DIET picture....it gives me even more motivation!)

Liam found Gigi's jelly beans!

We had a great day celebrating Jesus' life and his forgiving of our sins. Now it is back to work and school for the kids and I. Only 29 days left of school! Woo Hoo!!!

Lainey sporting her Baby Leg tights!

Well, That's ALL Folks! Have a good week! :)

DeAnn

Spring Fun!

It is that time of year again....Spring Break! Only, this kind of weather is not that of Spring! Yes, rain, 60 degree weather, pollen, and a week out of school is an indication that spring is here, but SNOW and freezing temperatures?

Our plan to camp at Stone Mountain park during part of our Spring Break was with hopes of good weather. When we left town on Thursday, we were far from having good weather! With thunderstorms, flooding, and tornado warnings, our vacation had an interesting start. Thanks to my dad, our camper was already set up in our camping spot when my parents, the kids, and I arrived at Stone Mountain around 9:00 Thursday evening. Sid was scheduled to work on Friday, therefore we left him at home!

It was rainy all day on Friday and I was stuck in the camper with 3 kids...one which was feeling less than par. Lainey looked as if she had pink eye and was running a low grade fever which caused her to be very sleepy. After a call to her CF doctor, Dr. Caplan, we had a prescription for eye drops and Bactrim. Sid finally made it to Stone Mountain around 8:45 and boy was I happy to see him!

On Saturday we had beautiful weather. Our friends Cindy and Sean, along with their kids Dawson and Kaylah joined us for a day of fun at Stone Mountain. We had a blast meeting Bob and Larry from the Veggietales, making bugs, riding the train, picnicing, shopping, watching the Back Yard Circus, grilling out, and viewing the Laser Show. The best part was when we tried to fit 11 people into my Ford Expedition EL! It is designed to seat 8 people...we managed to fit 11 and we could have fit more! We had about a 2 mile drive within the park to get from our camp site to the Laser Show lawn, so we were not cramped for long. Yes, we could have driven 2 cars, but it is VERY hard to park...plus my mother has a handicap pass, making parking a breeze! Sid and Sean sat in the front, Papa, Lainey, and Liam sat in the middle, Gigi, Dawson, Cindy, Kaylah, Logan, and I sat in the last row, and we filled the back with a wagon, double stroller, and a gazillion blankets! I think it took us loner to get in and out of the car than it did for the 30 minute Laser Show, but we had a ball!

Sunday was much colder, but the sun was out for most of the day. We took my parents over to Stone Mountain park and did a little shopping and playing. Everyone started breaking down around 1:00 because they were cold and hungry, so we went back to our campers. Shortly after we ate lunch Lainey began acting sick again. She started throwing up and was running a fever. Needless to say, she did not hold down much and was very lethargic. Sid watched Lainey and the boys during their nap time, while mom and I went to Target! We rarely get to go shopping without kids and it was so much fun to get out by ourselves!

Monday Lainey was still feeling crummy, but not throwing up. We had to call Eileen, our Littlest Heroes Project photographer, to cancel our session. I really wanted to have our pictures taken, but I wanted Lainey to feel up to it, plus it was super cold outside. The wind was blowing 45 miles per hour and it was 42 degrees! My sister and her husband had dropped Lilly Anne off at mom and dad's motor home around 9:00 while they went to Brad's pre-op. We all ate dinner together and I got some cute pictures of the girls, Gigi and Papa, and all the grandkids! I also managed to fit in a trip to Hobby Lobby, Marshalls, and T.J. Maxx(of course this was when the kids were taking a nap.)

Brad and Dayna left around 5:00 Tuesday morning for his surgery. Sid left for school shortly afterwards. The kids and I were in for the morning due to extremely cold weather and SNOW! Snow on Spring Break is wrong! I packed up the camper while the kids played, watched movies, and ate, and ate, and ate! Sid finally got back from school around 2:15. He worked on hitching the camper to the Expedition, putting away hoses, and preparing to leave while I took the boys to roast marshmallows and make smores. The boys had a bunch of firey, sticky, chocolaty, sugar high of a time! We hated to leave, but Sid had to be back for his 12 hour clinical on Wednesday and Thursday, and work again on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. BLAH!

Brad's surgery went well. The doctor pulled 4 teeth and removed a large portion of his lower jaw bone. He was lucky in that the tumor was contained to one area. For two weeks he will be out of work and they will begin looking into options for replacement teeth. Dayna and Brad are very glad to have this tumor removed and the surgery out of the way. He is doing well and hanging out at home while vegging on ice cream and pain meds!

Well, just a few more days left of my Spring Break and then back to the grind! I had so many pictures from our Stone Mountain trip, that I made a slide show. Enjoy the pictures!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

DeAnn

A "Rock'in " Party and a much needed BREAK!

This past weekend, our family went to a "Rock'in" 1st Birthday Party! Campbell Rock turned 1 and we were there to help her celebrate. Campbell's mom, Josie, and I were in kindergarten together. We always had a blast and we NEVER got into any trouble!

For Campbell's 1st Birthday it was asked of the guests to donate money for Lainey's cause at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in lieu of gifts. This was such an honor! At the party, Sid told a little about Lainey's journey with Cystic Fibrosis, but not without shedding a few tears. Retelling, hearing, thinking about, subtle reminders of, and the reality of what Lainey has been through in these past 10 1/2 months along with the nagging monsters of CF pulling at your strings on a minute by minute basis, will bring me to tears. Sharing Lainey's story is very important to us, as well as Lainey's future. We truly appreciate Josie, Marcus, and Campbell sharing the "birthday spotlight" with Lainey. Below are a few pictures of Campbell's big day!

Lainey loved playing with the stacking boxes!

The Birthday Girl!

Marcus, Campbell, and Josie

"I don't like this Stink'in Hat!"

Lainey and Campbell checking each other out!

YUMMY Cake!

Lainey Bug!

Today begins the second best time of the year for a teacher........SPRING BREAK!! The first best time of the year is summer break! The camper is packed, the Expedition is packed, and the kids are raring to go! Although we aren't going far, since Stone Mountain is only an hour and a half away, we are just happy to be going! Unfortunately, Sid has to work on Friday and needs to be at school on Tuesday. My daddy is driving our camper to Stone Mountain today, then coming back to Gainesville to pack his motor home, only to head back to Stone Mountain to camp with us! I will be flying solo with the three kids tonight and all day Friday, but fortunately my parents will be there to help.

I wish my sister was able to camp with us, but her husband's surgery got in the way of the plans! On Tuesday he will be having 4 to 5 teeth pulled and a large section of his lower jaw removed. This surgery is a result of the spot he found in his mouth (mentioned in this post on my sister's blog), which turned out to be ameloblastoma. They will be coming out to Stone Mountain to spend the night on Monday since they need to be at Emory for Brad's surgery that is scheduled for 5:00 am on Tuesday. The best part is that I will get to hang out with my niece Lilly Anne while they are at the hospital! YEA!

With our season passes to Stone Mountain, we are able to come and go in the park as we please. The boys are looking forward to the 4-D theater (dinosaurs are the theme), the train, putt-putt, Sky Hike, Katy's restaurant, the sky buckets, funnel cake, and their favorite ~ the Laser Show!! Our friends Cindy, Sean, Dawson, and Kaylah will be coming to visit us at Stone Mountain on Saturday. They came last year when we were here for Spring Break (Cindy and I were pregnant with our girls) and we had a blast! Of ALL things, my favorite part about going to Stone Mountain is the BREAK! We do not have internet, our phones don't work well in the park, no cable tv, no school......just family time and going to bed early! Maybe I'll be able to catch up on some much needed rest.

Another cool thing about our trip is our photo session with Eileen Swaney for the Littlest Heroes Project! We are so excited about documenting Lainey's personality with some candid shots in our own element!

We will be back home on Wednesday, so look for some life from us then! Have a good weekend!

DeAnn