Coffee Date:)

Griffin and I had a wonderful coffee date today! It was great to spend some quality time with my favorite three-year old.

Favorite Quote from the coffee shop: Mom, I really like my drink. It is a beautiful day.

Favorite Quote from today: Mom, don't forget to pray, 'Thank you for Addie.'

Wordless Post!

Good News!

Checking in...

Waiting to see the doctor...

Getting impatient...

All smiles before being taken back to the OR...

Sleeping in the Recovery Room...

Having a hard time waking up...itchy, hoarse, and a bit swollen!

Fell asleep on the way home...check out his puffy, sad face:(

Trying to decide if he is happy again...

Almost there...

I think I can smile again...

There it is!

Don't we have the cutest patient?

The procedure itself went quite well. He is having a bit of a hard time with the aftermath though. His voice is quite hoarse, and he keeps throwing up or spitting up either blood or mucous. All of this is normal for a short period of time, but it crushes my heart to see his face so sad and his body so puffy. Here's to hoping the next 24 hours goes by quickly!

The doctor spoke with us right after the endoscopy and stated that the lower part of Grayson's esophagus was pretty inflamed and that there was already areas that showed some healing. What this means is that Grayson has most likely been suffering from a severe case of acid reflux that is responding slowly to medicine. The good news is that the doctor thinks it will eventually even itself out; he is just responding a bit slower than most children. Dr. S did mention that there are a few other things that could be causing the inflammation, so he did a few biopsies to make sure there is nothing else he (the doctor) is missing. We will get those results back in about a week, and we follow up with the doctor again on the 18th. We will also continue to do periodic weight checks.

In the meantime, we are to continue with the Prevacid and his high caloric formula and rice cereal mix. Over the last week we have seen a positive improvement in behavior, so I am hoping that means he is on the mend and will slowly start to eat more like a normal child. I am glad that we were given somewhat of an answer because my biggest fear was that they would find nothing. I am also thankful that it appears that it is fixable.

So, here is to praying and crossing my fingers that everything will continue to improve.

Thanks for all your prayers and support! We appreciate it:)

Upper GI Endoscopy

Tomorrow is a big day for Grayson. At 7:30a.m, our sweet little man will undergo an Upper GI Endoscopy. While the procedure is considered to be a minor one, I am still a bit apprehensive about the fact that he will be sedated under general anesthesia. I know that the possibility of him being allergic to these drugs is slim to none, but I am still nervous. Plus, I know that waking up from this can be traumatic for a little one.

So, at around 4:45, Brandon and I will take Grayson on down to the University of Minnesota Fairview Children's Hospital. Please pray for wisdom on the doctor's behalf, as it would be nice to once and for all get to the bottom of what has been plaguing his tiny stomach.

I will keep you posted with any results!

Happy Halloween!

For Griffin's fourth Halloween and Grayson's first, we went all out! For the first time, we attended the Anoka Halloween Parade, and we will for sure try and make it an annual tradition. Did you know that Anoka is considered the Halloween Capital of the World? The parade definitely lived up to its reputation. The floats and costumes were a riot, and Griffin had the time of his life dancing and collecting candy. Grayson slept for most of the parade, but while he was awake, he seemed to enjoy his surroundings.

After the parade and a short nap, we went to the Scalia's House for some play time and trick-or-treating. But, before we could do anything, Robbie and Brandon went to Chipotle for free burritos!!! The Scalia neighborhood is much more kid friendly, so this is the third year we have gotten the two families together on this sugar-filled Holiday. As the pictures show, fun was had by all!

The other fun news we have to share is that Grayson is officially mobile. Over the last two days he is getting more and more coordinated. Although he can only take a few crawling steps before he falls on his stomach, he can finish his journey by rolling to his destination. Hello Cleaning!

My boys are changing right before my eyes...

I can hardly believe how much Griffin and Grayson are changing and growing. Both boys are trying new things and keeping Brandon and me on our toes. Parenthood is seriously amazing, but it can also be difficult, sad, and at times, overwhelming. We have definitely experienced this spectrum over the last few weeks.

Griffin just finished his last session of swimming lessons tonight, and we will definitely be signing up for another one. Despite his dare-devilish behavior at our subdivision's pool, he was quite timid when it came time to swimming lessons. Believe it or not, prior to today's lesson, I had a hard time getting him to do much of anything besides standing by the stairs. Thankfully, today something just clicked for him, and he was back to being the little fish I know and love. Griffin has also started to really test our patience, most often at bed time, and he clearly favors listening to my directions over Brandon's. We are trying our best to stay calm, but firm. At times it is hard to discipline his cute little face, but I know that in the long run, the more consistently we enforce rules, the better. His active imagination is also something that brings us great entertainment. Currently, he is obsessed with telling us about his pretend dogs (Benji, Lafrica, and Gutka) and all that he gets to do with them. Just yesterday, he "played tennis" with Roger Federer using only a straw, and afterward they "played catch." In case your wondering, Griffin won:)

Grayson is still struggling with GI issues, but today was a GREAT day. For the first time in several weeks, our little man was back to being his happy-go-lucky self. Although he still doesn't eat close to the amount he should, we are definitely seeing a positive change in behavior. Gail, his day care mom, also commented that today was a much happier day for our little man. Hopefully the combination of Prevacid and a new concoction of concentrated formula with a lot of rice cereal will continue to help him improve and gain weight. We visit the pediatric GI specialist on Monday, and he will determine whether or not we need to carry out the scheduled Upper GI Endoscopy on November 6th. For now, it's waiting game, but we are thrilled to see more smiles on our youngest son's face. In addition to increased smiles, we are also noticing quite a few developmental changes. He is constantly "talking" and exploring the sounds his mouth can make. He is also starting to put himself into the crawling position, and we even caught him trying to pull himself into the standing position. He was able to go from the seated position to his knees by pulling on the edge of our coffee table. It won't be long before he is officially mobile!!!

I continue to take pictures and try to document as much of their lives as I can. I know time flies, so I am trying cherish the phases they are in...I know they won't be in them for long!

Until next time, feast your eyes on the little loves of my life:)