So, this is what it feels like to breathe.....

I must mark today as one of the best days of my life. Brandon had an appointment with an endocrinologist to discuss the potential health problem that we were facing. In an attempt to protect B's privacy, I won't go into great detail other than to say that initially, it was not looking good. Fortunately, as is the case with EVERY medically related issue B has faced in his short little life, it turned out to be a fluke! It is really quite astonishing! Let's recap, shall we?

-2 weeks old-ER visit for projectile vomitting-possible pyloric stenosis. Ultrasound of GI tract shows everything is normal.

-5 weeks old-hospitalization for virus, and discovery of prominent sacral dimple and told it could potentially be spina bifida. Ultrasound of spine shows that everything is normal.

-6 months old- Had markers for Down's Syndrome, pedi ordered karotype/chromosomal testing. 2 weeks later, test comes back normal.

-9 months old- Growth of head is faster than normal, so pedi suspects hydrocephalus. Ultrasound shows everything is normal.

-9 months old- Weak eye muscles in right eye, pedi refers us to an opthamologist. All exams have been showing marked improvement, but we may need to do patch therapy in the future.

-1 year old- The endocrinology issue arises. Today's appointment shows everything is normal and there is no real cause for concern!

PHEW!!! Seriously, after today's news, I am finally able to breathe!

So, today, officially 20 months old, I am hoping that this is the point where we can finally be done with medical issues for awhile! The occasional cold I can handle, but all of this quasi-major stuff has been STRESSING me out!!!

So, here is to a new day, and a new time in our parental adventure! I will say though, all of these health related issues have made an ear infection seem like a walk in the park! :)

Yay to Brandon for being a healthy little boy, and for following tradition in proving everyone wrong!

I just don't get it.....

Beware-this blog may be slightly offensive, or judgmental. However, this is my blog, and a place for me to vent and share my own feelings, so that is exactly what I am going to do.

WHY do people have continue to bring children into the world when they should NOT?!?! I understand that everyone is entitled to have children when they choose, and that is one of the many freedoms we have, but WHY would you KNOWINGLY attempt to get pregnant when you were JUST planning on divorcing your husband? WHY would you KNOWINGLY have unprotected sex with someone when you KNOW that you CANNOT afford another child, or when you can barely afford to take care of the children you already have? WHY would you trap a man by getting pregnant and think that he is required to stay and provide for you and your child? WHY would you have a child when you are making no attempts to be self sufficient?

I just don't get it. In my opinion, it is SO easy.

1.) Pregnancy is NOT that hard to avoid. It is called being RESPONSIBLE. Protect yourself. I can understand not using protection if you are in a COMMITTED relationship, and are capable of providing for a child. I don't understand "accidental" pregnancies. I'm sure there are cases out there, in fact I know of a few; however, these cases are so few and far between. If you don't want to have a baby, PROTECT yourself. Easy.

2.) Babies are not accessories! Just because everyone in Hollywood is having a baby, does NOT mean that you should run out and get one for yourself. Babies are HARD work, and require CONSTANT care. Babies are expensive. Babies DO NOT FIX A RELATIONSHIP!!!!! Omg, I CANNOT stress that last one enough. You should NOT continue to bring children into the world if you are not at least making an attempt to be self sufficient. Yeah, if your husband takes care of you, that is fine well and good. BUT, what happens if he decides to leave you, or you decide to leave, or whatever? At least ATTEMPT to become self sufficient.

Ugh, I could go ON and ON, but I won't. I just don't get it.

18 months ALREADY?!?!?!

Today B is 18 months old, and I swear it seems like someone hit the fast forward button on our life. At the risk of sounding cliche, everyday he amazes me even more! These past few weeks he has become SO interested in the things around him. Everywhere we go he has to point out various things, and say, "Wow!!!!" His vocabulary is amazing and gets better everyday. He is a little sponge, and picks up on things so quickly. He is turning in to such an amazing little boy and is completely crazy with energy! He certainly keeps me on my toes, and I never forget for a second how blessed Brian and I are to have him in our lives. He has enriched out lives more than we ever could have expected. He's amazing!

To keep track of a few of the latest milestones, I am going to list some of the latest and greatest!

At 18 months he can say: Mama, Dada, Ball, Car, Juice, Please, That, Hot, Cold, Meow, Ruff, Hi, Wow, Bye, PawPaw, Out, Me, Eat, Water, Yellow, and a ton of letters.

He is fascinated with letters. Everywhere we go he points out the letters. HE is particularly attached to the letters "R," "A," "O," "T," "D," "P," and "E." He is good about actually pointing out the letters "R," and "A."

He LOVES cars, and especially big trucks. Today, we waited for the dump truck to pick up out trash all while hearing him say "WOW!!" :)

He loves cats, and will point them out and say, "Meow" with this cute little scruntched up face. Heh...he gets his love of cats from his Momma. :)

His latest is pointing out Momma and Dada in all of the pictures he sees. He's been pointing out Dada for awhile, but added Momma lately. I've always emphasized Dada because Brian has been gone, so it is so nice that he started Momma on his own. Makes me feel special. :)

He loves to say hi and bye to himself in the mirror everynight when he brushes his teeth. :)

He LOVES to run around naked after his bath! lol He gets THAT from his Daddy. :)

He loves watching Barney, Yo Gabba Gabba, and The Backyardigans.

He gets in to EVERYTHING...ALL THE TIME!!! Hahaha.

He can point out eyes, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, hair, head, feet, toes, belly, hands, and knees.

His favorite song is The Itsy Bitsy Spider and the babies and mommies verses of The Wheels on the Bus.

He loves when I point out the color of things. He will point to something (especially floors with different colors) and wait for me to say the color.

He will not say hello to someone on the phone, but he will say bye.

He loves to "read" anything.

He goes to bed around 8pm and sleeps until around 8-9am. He takes a nap from around 12:30-4pm.

He has 4 molars, 4 bottom teeth, and 4 top teeth.

He has the cutest dimples I have ever seen.

His eyes are still blue and green.

He weighs about 33 pounds and is about 37 inches tall. He wears 3T, and some 4T and a size 6.5/7 shoe.

I'm sure there are a ton of other things that I am leaving out. He is a wonderful little boy. Everyday is an adventure, and we are loving every moment of watching him grow and learn.

We thank God, or the universe, or the spirits that be everyday for allowing us the opportunity to have him in our lives.

Mommy and Daddy love you Brandon!!

I leave you with pictures of our little (big) guy and his half birthday cake! Enjoy!

Updates in Bullets

There are so many things going on lately! So, to simplify, and prevent my brain from exploding in an attempt to weave everything together, I am going to update in bullet form. Here goes!

-Brandon is almost 18 months old! OMG!!! Where has the time gone?? He is getting SO big, and is learning SO much everyday! He knows SO many words, and loves exploring EVERYTHING....including things he should NOT. I'll update more on him on the 30th when I post a big 18 month update on him. He's wonderful though, and everyday I spend with him is a blessing and a gift that I am forever grateful for. Words cannot express how much I love being a Mommy! :)

-Brian started Warriors Leader Course (WLC) today! He enjoyed his first day and is excited to be learning things new and old. He is counting down the days until he is here! He should be here sometime around mid-September. I am hoping he will be here for our anniversary. It will be the first one that we get to spend together in 3 years. He has been either in the field or deployed for the past two. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

-Speaking of Brian and his job- we found out that the unit he is slated to be stationed with here at Fort Hood is not deploying again until October 2010! So, we are looking at being able to spend a whole year together as a family before he has to leave again. The optimist in me is hoping that by then, everything will be settled and he will not have to deploy again, but I am not going to hold my breath.

-Things at the house are great! B and I are LOVING our space and have adjusted quite well. Our household goods were delivered the week before last, so I have been a busy bee unpacking stuff. There are a number of things that I have had to sell on Craigslist because we have no need for it, or it won't fit in this house. I'm almost done unpacking, but it would be great for me to be able to get rid of our dining set and hutch because it is taking up a ton of room. I am getting rid of the coffee table, desk and a twin mattress and box spring this weekend. So that should free up a lot of space. It will be nice to have my garage back again! :)

-Speaking of the house, the blinds and alarm system were installed last week. The blinds are SO nice! They are wood and have a valance as well. So, that saves me the hassle of having to put up curtains! Hahaha The security system is a great thing, especially with Brian gone all the time. The other sort of update we have done is paint! I painted the living room and hallway a khaki/brown color and it is gorgeous! We have a ton of plans for the house and they will come to fruition as soon as we get the $8000 tax credit for purchasing a house this year. We will be putting in wood floors and ceramic tile to replace the carper and vinyl. Also, crown molding will be installed in the living room. We are also going to get new flat screen tvs mounted to the walls in the living room and B's playroom. The possibilities are endless with a house, and we are loving every minute of it! :) We have a ton more plans that will be accomplished as the funds allow. We're pretty stoked.

-I chose my classes for next semester and will be able to register for them on August 3rd when registration opens up. I start classes on August 31, and cannot WAIT! The only hesitation I have is B starting daycare. I am just so nervous about it. We are still waiting on paperwork from the doctor to be completed before he can be officially registered. Once he is originally registered I will begin transitioning him slowly. Well, that is the plan at least. Depending on when the paperwork is completed, and the registration is completed, he may have to be transitioned a little quicker than I would like. I guess naptime is one of my biggest concerns. I highly doubt that he is going to go to sleep for a stranger...especially on a mat instead of in a crib. We'll see. He always reacts to things way better than I think he will, so let's hope that trend continues!

-Brian and I are going to be Aunt and Uncle for the second time! Beth is expecting her first little one! She finds out her due date on Friday, so that is exciting!

Well, that is about all I can think of for now. I'm sure there is more, but it's getting late and I am sleeeeepy! So, goodnight world! :)

We're HOME!! (and anyone know anything about sod?)

Brandon and I moved into the new house on Sunday! Yay!!! Too bad Brian left to go back to Germany on Sunday as well. :(

Brandon and I are adjusting to life in the new house quite well. I was worried about him having a hard time with the new surroundings, and not having his extended family around, but he has exceeded my expectations. As always. He LOVES his new playroom. Since our house hold goods aren't here until Saturday, he has been enjoying running around a mostly empty house. He is so cute. His bedroom is all set up, and is looking GREAT! We ordered a new glider, and it will be here tomorrow. One I have that set up, I will take pictures of his room and post them.

As I mentioned, the rest of our house hold goods get here on Saturday. When I get everything unpacked, I will take pictures of the house and post them for you all to see. I cannot WAIT to see all of our stuff again. It has been in storage for almost 18 months. So, it will be like Christmas unpacking everything!! :) Can't WAIT!!

Now on to the sod. We had sod put down on Monday. I have been watering it like a maniac, but it still has spots that are brown. Anyone have any suggestions? I will continue watering like crazy, but since it has decided NEVER to rain in TX, I am SO afraid that our sod is going to die.

Well, I am sure there are a number of other things I could talk about, but I need to go move the sprinkler, and then clean the house a bit. Thanks in advance for any advice on the lawn! :)

June 2009

This month, or more accurately, summer 2009, has been our family's driving force since the spring of 2008. From the time we found out Brian was deploying, every decision we made, and every move we made was in preparation for summer 2009. When we made it to this summer, we knew that the deployment would be over, that we would soon be together again as a family, and that we would finally be debt free! The last accomplishment was mostly an after-thought, but is exciting nonetheless. Now that the time has arrived, we couldn't be happier. Granted, there have been a few minor changes to the "plan," but we're adjusting nicely.

On June 6th, Brian flew in from Germany to spend a month with us. It has been so great having him home, even if only for a month. Watching Brian and Brandon together is wonderful. The two of them are so silly, and watching them interact and play is amazing. Watching Brian learn all of B's little quirks, and discover how truly amazing B is has been a blessing. We are both falling more and more in love with our son everyday. The dynamic of our family, when we are together, is perfect. We make due when we are apart, but having us all together is such a wonderful feeling. Indescribably really.

In other Hays Family news, we bought our first house!!! We are SO excited to move in!!! It is a brand new, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house in Killeen, TX. It is way small (only 1350 square feet) but it will work for us. We are already making plans for improvements, and can't wait to make our house a home! Our closing date is scheduled for June 30th, but we are hoping to close by the 26th so we have the weekend of the 27th-28th to move in. As of now, the only thing left to do in the house is the electrical and appliance install, the sod in the front and back yard, and the fence installation. We are waiting on the VA Appraisal, which can take place as soon as the house is mostly complete. Actually, the VA Appraisal can take place as soon as the electrical and appliances are installed, and the fence posts are put in. So, hopefully, our 26th closing date is possible. We were going to have wood laminate floors installed before we moved in, but the quote we got was WAY out of our price range. So, we are going to keep looking. There are a number of projects that we are planning to do with out tax return. For example, we are going to change out the vinyl in the bathrooms and kitchen to ceramic tile, change out the formica countertops to stone, and add a glass tile back splash. If we aren't able to get the laminate installed before we move in, we are also going to do that with our tax return. We cannot wait to make our house a home, and add our personal touch. In the meantime, I will leave you with the pictures we took of the house the day our offer was accepted.

BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I know this is a "family" blog, and this next post has little to do with our family, BUT I'm telling myself that Brandon will want to know about his Mom's love of music, namely Bush and Gavin Rossdale when he grows up. So, please allow me to gloat a little, and revel in the beauty that was Sunday night!!!


My 26th birthday present from Brian was tickets for Heather and myself to go see Gavin Rossdale!!!!!!!! ACK!!!!! Heather was going mostly just to go, and I was going because it is GAVIN FREAKING ROSSDALE!!!!!!!!! Haha.

A little background- I *LOVE* Gavin Rossdale. Love him. I fell in love with him during the infamous 1997 MTV Spring Break performance of Glycerine. From that moment on, he was it. Like any other teeny-bopper in love with an artist, I had a picture of him above my bed, surrounded by glow in the dark stars. Throughout my adolescence, he was always the favorite. Any new artist that came along never compared to Gavin. Heh. To this day, Gavin is always mentioned as my "it" guy. My celebrity crush. I <3 him!!! lol

Ok, I'm done gushing about him.

Anyway, rewind to a few weeks ago. I was driving home from somewhere, and heard that he was going to be at the House of Blues in May. So, I looked it up, and decided that I was going. I didn't care if I went alone, or if someone wanted to go with me. I was going. Brian decided to buy the tickets for me and Heather as my birthday gift, and the deal was done.

Sunday around 4, we pull up next to House of Blues and notice a bus. I joked that it was Gavin's bus, but didn't believe that it was. Heather and I had the valet park the car and we went to find the venue. We expected there to be a long line of people waiting for the concert since it started 3 hours later, but there was nobody there! So, we went down to the House of Blues restaurant to have dinner. After dinner, we went back up to the concert area, and there were 3 people in line. We sat down and held our place in line for the next 2 hours. While in line, we discovered that the bus WAS Gavin's and that he had come out of the bus and some of the people sitting next to us were able to get autographs and pictures with him! I was SOOOO jealous!!! Haha Once they opened the doors, Heather and I were able to get FRONT AND CENTER!!!!! The microphone was literally RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!!!! It was perfect!!!! The opening band, Nico Vega, came onstage around 8-ish. They were really good! I was pleasantly surprised. Then, after Nico Vega's performance, they took a few minutes to set up the stage for Gavin. I swear it seemed like it took an eternity. Finally, the curtain opened, and Gavin came on stage. It was an AMAZING concert! He played a great variety of songs including Bush songs, solo songs, and songs from Institute. During the performance, he climbed onto the railing RIGHT next to Heather and I and - yes, I did the typical teeny-bopper thing, and touched him! Awesome! Can I just say that Gavin has the hottest abs imaginable?!?! Heather noticed that his wristband (that he had thrown on the stage when it started to fall off) was stuck to his shoe. So, she grabbed it, and gave it to me. How awesome is my sister?!?! :) There were many times during the concert that he made eye contact with me, and at one point focused and was singing....ack!!! It was awesome!!!! After the show, Heather and I ran out to be near the bus in case he was able to sign autographs and take pictures. Heather was convinced that he wouldn't be out for at least an hour, but he came out shortly after we got there! He walked RIGHT PAST ME!!! As he walked past, I asked if I could have a picture, and he said (something along these lines), "Yeah, just a second. I have to go get something really fast." ACK!!!!!!! Gavin Rossdale TALKED TO ME!!!!!!! Hahahaha. His manager came out and told us all to wait along the wall and that Gavin would give everyone an autograph and picture. So, obviously, we waited! :) I was able to get TWO pictures with Gavin and an autograph. I made sure to tell him that it was my very first concert experience, ever, and that it was a birthday present from my husband who was in Iraq. (Ok, so that was a shameless use of Brian's service, but whatever.) Then, we proceeded to have a small conversation. Here's the breakdown:

Me: "This is my first concert ever, and is a gift from my husband who is in Iraq."
Gavin: "Oh really? When is he coming home?"
Me: "Two weeks!"
Gavin: "Oh, and then he will be home for good?"
Me: "No, he has to go back to Germany in a month because that is where his unit is stationed at."
Gavin: "You know, I never understood that. Why are there bases in Germany?"
Me: "I don't know. Leftover from WWII I assume."
Gavin: "Yeah, I know, but why are they still there?"
Me: "I don't know."
Gavin: "Yeah, I just don't get it."
Me: "Me either, but they are closing a lot of them."
Gavin: "Good."

Hahahahaha.....I am such a nerd. There was a little more conversation, but I can't recall what was said. I got 2 pictures and an autograph! It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Here is a slideshow of pics from the concert. Please excuse my hair. It is a hot mess thanks to Houston humidity. I swear it was cuter before the show! Hahaha