10 months old

Oh my world, my little munchkin is 10 months old! I can't even believe it! It feels like this year with him has just flown by. He weighs eighteen pounds now (I brought him to the doctor last weeek) as he had had cold symptoms and goopy eye for over a week and a half. The doctor prescribed some erythromycin to cover if it was conjunctivitis and after a few days when that didn't work she has prescribed Zyrtec. It is debatable whether or not it is helping. At ten months, Preston is shaking his head no, clapping, blowing raspberries, playing peak a boo, and doing his own special version of crawling. It is the cutest thing ever. He can get from sitting down into the crawling position, and sometimes prefers to just lay on his back and look at the world going by. He continues to love his exersaucer and has tremendously strong legs because it seems like all he does all day is kick his legs or jump. Sleeping is still a hit or a miss type thing:-( He nurses around 630pm or so and then goes to sleep. He then wakes up typically between 10 and 11 and nurses again. After that we try to wait until at least five to feed him again, but that doesn't always happen. He has started rolling over to his left side when he sleeps, it is so cute.

Feeding him is so fun. Since I have been making my own I have been coming up with some weird suggestions, but he seems to really like everything tath I have made to give him. His favorite breakfast food is banana, strawberry, oatmeal. lunch and dinner has lately been a pureed chicken breat mixed with some veggie or fruit (apple, sweet potato, gr beans...) He has also really started liking feeding himself with finger foods. The gerber puffs have been a huge hit with all my kids. He also likes something called "Tiny Duck organics" and they make dried fruit pieces that he really likes. I also have tried giving him "mighty minis" popsicles which he absolutely loves...

And lets not forget our Army bear photos, I will post them tomorrow:-)

MassGeneral in the morning

Tomorrow was origionally scheduled to be a follow up for Preston for six months after we saw the GI for allergies. Sam and Preston both see the same doc, and he is fabulous. So with that being said, they just added Sam onto Preston's appointment tomorrow. So I am so grateful that they will eyeball Sam tomorrow. Although he had a normal BM on friday (actually two) he has since had the abnormal ones since and has complained a lot about pain. I am not sure what the plan will be, but I am thankful that they will see him tomorrow. I had really thought that the medication for ulcerative colitis was really helping him but it would appear that the last few days that it is no longer as effective as it had been. So since last week I participated in the blog commenting challenge I didn't really post any pics, so here are some pics from last week with more to come....

My best friend Chantal came over with her two girls for several hours one day and Preston and the girls played together, or rather the girls watched P play.

Matt got a little pool for my two little fish to swim in the other day. They absolutely love swimming and have such a blast. Sam has gotten really brave already this year and jumps off diving boards, docks, or whatever to get into the water. It cracks me up because whatever he jumps into he comes up from under the water every time looking completely shocked/startled.

Back to regular stuff....

Gosh it has again been such a crazy week! Sammy has had a horrible week GI wise, but since I was playing the commenting challenge I haven't even been keeping track, so since this is my "medical journal" here is what's been going on the last week.... MONDAY: was a little better than the weekend in regards to pain, but stools were massive and very strange. Bloody and seemed like tissue or something....was eating fair but not great TUESDAY: relatively the same as monday, although this day he started complaining that he was really cold again. I unfortunately didn't really think about checking a temp that day (Dumb!!!) but he never felt overly chilly. But when I talked to PCP she said that people can have a low temp when they are fighting infection too... WEDNESDAY: Pain and discomfort is back. Eating is worse, but is drinking well. His energy was decreased today, and continued to complaining of being cold. This day his temp was 96.1 orally. Stools continue to be huge and shredded, with some streaking of blood... THURSDAY: Was a rough day. Sammy was complaining of nausea as well as pain. Poor guy. This is a new complaint for him as he hasn't had complaints of nausea with the colitis before, or at least he hasn't voiced it before. He essentially laid under a big fuzzy blanket all morning, and then seemed a little bit better. We had to go pick Sophia up from VBS and went to the lake for a bit. At the lake he did swim and play with the Paradis family, but certainly wasn't his normal self there. When we got home he still complained he was chilly, but asked for some chicken noodle soup and actually ate it. So praise God for some progress! He was super sensitive and emotional, which he always is when he doesn't feel well.... FRIDAY: Today started out ok. He had another relatively normal stool too. He didn't eat anything but I got him to drink some water, and a little juice. He really wanted to go to VBS so I let him go with Sophia. He had a great time, and then ate a pretty good lunch and was really active. We then went to my mom and dad's as today was my dad's birthday. He was ok there, although he didn't really run around much and just wanted to sit and watch everyone else around him. But he didn't complain of pain while there. When we came home he ate a really good dinner!!! I am so thankful for that. And then again complained of being cold, and wrapped up in a thick fuzzy blanket, even though it is 90+ degrees out and we don't have air conditioning.... I did talk to Dr Zella this afternoon. He isn't quite sure of what is going on with my little mistery man. He was certainly happy to hear that he seems to be getting better but he isn't sure what caused it. So we have an appointment monday morning and will go from there. The poor little guy, I just wish I could take it all away from him. As a mom, I have watched him struggle health wise, essentially his whole life. And although we keep "adding diagnosis" to his little list of medical issues, I still don't think any of this is making him better. It's like we are just scratching the surface and that we don't have the big "aha!" moment that ties everything together. WE don't know so much about him medically, and so when these weird things keep happening no one is sure how to deal with him. And so he is a little boy who has so much pain and discomfort and I am his momma that watches sadly:-( Praying for a good weekend for my sweet little guy and hopefully some answers ASAP or even better for our amazing God to heal him!!! Have a blessed weekend!!!

Commenting Challenge: Day 3

This is the topic for day three of the commenting challenge.... Tell us about your social media! Where can we find you? Link to your twitter, pinterest, Facebook, instagram, or google +. If you don't use those sites, then tell us why not! Also, what are your favorite websites? Are there any that you check daily? What do you like about them So lets see, I am definitely a Facebook user, much more than I care to admit. I have a HUGE family and it makes it so easy to keep in touch with everyone and feel like we are really involved with each other if they live far away. I don't use Google, Twitter, or Instagram. Pinterest is something I really enjoy when I am planning a party, something new to decorate or something fun for my munchkins to do. You can find me here Dani Jean. Gosh favorite websites, I am a huge fan of Zulily. I have found some great stuff for my kiddos. I LOVE cooking websites and a couple of my favorite go to sites are All Recipes and Cooks. And then there are like a million blogs that I love to read. Most of my blog interests have been people with "medical kids" or complicated pregnancies, or inspiring Christians who are thriving and who are so inspiring to me... I have a few listed in my blog roll, but for the most part they aren't all there. I am working on getting them listed.... Have a blessed day!! I look forward to finding many new blogs to read this week

Blog Comment Challenge Day 2

I am taking part in the Commenting challenge over at Jenna's Journey Jennas Journey. This is a challenge to find new blogs to read, and to comment on others blogs. The topic that Jenna has suggested for today.... Tell us about your blog. What do you blog about? Why do you blog? How did you start blogging? What kinds of things do you/are you willing to share with the world? Where do you find your topic inspiration? (Hint: Don't share about your social media just yet!) I started my first blog (www.weberfamilylife.blogspot.com) when I was pregnant with my oldest son. It was a very complicated pregnancy and one in which for most of the pregnancy they didn't think he would survive. My youngest brother Dennis was serving in the military as a sniper in Iraq, so I started the blog so that he could get info whenever was possible. Blogging now has become such a blessing to me. With Sam's medical problems it has been a place to journal and keep track of all of his journey. I also blog about Sam in the hopes that it will help someone who is struggling, that it will be encouragement to them. It has been a place to chronical my life as a mom and watching my kids grow. It has been a place where I can ask for prayer, and where I can see my faith growing and God answering our prayers. I share a lot on the blog, I feel so strongly that sharing our story will be encouraging to others, and that God uses each trial that we go through to help others. I can't really say tht I have inspiration for topics, I just blog about the day in and day outs of our life

Commenting Challenge

Today I am linking up with Jenna, over at www.Jennasjourneyblog.blogspot.com She is having her third annual commenting challenge. This is to find new blogs to read.... So if you are over here from Jenna's journey here is a little me and my little family... My name is Danielle, I am a thirty something year old Christian wife and mother. I am a nurse who mostly works pediatrics although I also work labor and delivery, newborn nursery as well. I live in Massachusetts. My husband Matt was my teenage crush:-) He is five years older than me, and I really thought he was so cute when we were at our church youth group when I was thirteen! We didn't really talk for several years other than the typical hi bye thing, but then when I turned sixteen he asked me out. We got married in 2002 and will shortly be celebrating our 10th anniversary:-) In 2006 we had our oldest son Samuel. Throughout the whole complication filled pregnancy we were constantly praying for God to protect our baby and let us bring him home. And HE DID!!! Sammy was born weighing 4lb5oz and has had so many many medical problems...immune deficiency, C. diff. colitis, severe apnea, reflux, bleeding disorder, and most recently eosinophilic colitis. I am learning so much about myself and about God's love for us as I watch this amazing little boy go through so much. He is my heart. This is a picture that I had taken of him by an amazing photographer recently, isn't he so handsome.... And then sweet Sophia is my four year old little spit fire. She was also born prematurely but she has done fabulously. She is super tiny for her age, but she is bigger than life in personality... And my last little miracle is Preston. When I was 19wks pregnant with him the doctor said that he wasn't viable and the goal would be to save me. Throughout another complicated pregnancy I kept praying that God would let me hold this little one in my arms, and he is here. He too has had some medical challenges but he is just amazing and brings so much joy to my life.... We have a cat, his name is Louis but unfortunately I don't have any recent pics of him. So this is our blog, this is my journal, a place to document our medical journey with Sam, a place to sing God's praises for the amazing blessings He has given us, and a place to share our story. Welcome!!! Please let me know you were here, and I will come on over to your blog as well:-)

GI update

So we started Sam on the new medication called Dipentum on friday. Friday he was absolutely miserable in the evening. Saturday AM he seemed better, and by saturday night he was even better. Today he says "My belly only hurts a little." So God is healing this little guy and I am so thankful. He seems like he is still fairly wiped out but rallies for a while and gets wild and crazy. We set up a little 8foot pool for them to swim in. They love it, although Sammy gets freezing really easily. Poor guy was shaking like a leaf, we kept having him come out to get warmed up and then he would want to go back in. I am just so thankful that he is feeling better. His appetite is pretty poor but at least he is eating. He is drinking ok as well. The other day we got to watch my little nephew Darius. Darius was one in december, can you see how close in size he is to Preston? My big guy is growing so big:-)