eleven months

My little angel is 11 months old. I don't care how cliche' it is; time travels fast. Too fast. Have I mentioned how in love with this boy I am? Oh yeah, I think I have about a bajillion times and I am almost certain that I love him even more each time I say it. Gosh that little guy makes my heart melt.

Beckham has gotten even more attached to me in the last month. He's getting the "stranger danger" thing, but I think it's mostly an act. If he sees or hears me he puts on a big show until I am the one holding him. If I am not around he is content as can be. Manipulating me already? It's working. I am happy holding him all day long.

He still has a feisty temper. He goes from 0 to 60 in a millisecond. He screams, arches his back, kicks his legs like crazy, yells at me, etc. It's funny that he also goes from 60 to 0 in a millisecond when he gets what he wants. Manipulating me already? Maybe this one will give me a run for my money. I guess he deserves to be a little feisty, since 98% of the time he is the happiest baby around.

I am secretly, or not so secretly, enjoying the fact that he isn't crazy and all over the place yet. I loved that Kaden was so quick to learn new skills, but he was and is everywhere. I had to baby proof early on. He crawled, climbed, and messed with everything. I like that Beckham still seems to be such a baby to me. I am fine with him staying a baby for a long time, especially now that I know all is well with him.

He says mama, dada, ball, bye-bye, and nana quite consistently. He waves to everyone. I love the way he waves. He sticks his little arm in the air and waves his fingers toward himself. He points at everything. His little pointer finger is quite busy all of the time. He has seven teeth, and looks so much older now.

He eats like a champ. I can put literally any food in his mouth and he savors it. I haven't found a thing he doesn't like. Oh, and he gained a pound! He's just a hair over 19 now. So that means he is about a pound and a half up from where he was at 6 months. That is so weird to me.

He is still so deliberate in everything he does. I can't believe how aware and observant he is of everything going on around him. He still thinks Kaden is the funniest thing on earth. So do I. He's a happy baby who smiles and giggles all of the time. Every minute of his life has made my life even better.

phylis

Matt sure is lucky to have me. After all, if he didn't I am sure he would have been beamed straight up to Heaven by now. I guess that I know just how to push his buttons and get him riled up just enough so he isn't whisked away. Maybe that makes him unlucky. I have heard Heaven is a pretty spectacular place. I would love to go there, I would love for us all to go there, but maybe not just yet. So I keep things interesting around here just to make sure no one is getting translated...

Matt works with a grumpy (old) lady named Phylis. That is her real name. Names are changed to protect the innocent, and she's not. Anyway, I have nothing against older people, in fact, I adore them. Phylis is on my list. That's not good, since my list has less than 5 people on it. It takes a lot to get on my list. Being unkind to my mister is a sure way to get your name, in bold, on my list. I am not sure what I intend to do to/with the people on my list, but I am sure when I come up with something it'll be good.

Anyway, who on earth would be mean to Matt?!?!? Well, besides me, but I always apologize and make nice somehow. I digress. He is the sweetest, most humble, kind human being I have ever met. He has the most pure, charitable heart and would never intend to hurt anyone. I cannot tell you how many times I have been talking to someone about Matt, they figure out who he is and say, "OH! He is your husband? What a sweet, sweet, man you have. Oh, he is so wonderful!"

Everyone I know of (except Phylis) that works with Matt seems to adore him. They are almost always patient with him, and when we go shopping on his day off, he is treated like a celebrity. People drool over his adorable children and he beams with pride. Phylis must have it rough. She always seems mad and has a perma-scowl on her face. Matt says she is mean to everyone. Since Matt pretty much is a celebrity around here, my moles have reported that she bosses him around, talks down to him in front of people, and is just downright unpleasant. A friend of mine was in once and called her out on it saying, "You try to be in his body for one day and see what he has to live with". Phylis was always pretty nice to me. (She must not know about the spies.)

The other day I was in Walmart with Andrea and the boys. Matt usually works in the garden center so we were walking out that way to say hello. He met us on his way back into the store and said, "I'm not allowed to work out there anymore. Phylis said I am in trouble and can't work out there again." Apparently Matt had shut the gate after his shift and there was still merchandise outside for a sidewalk sale. He has to leave right when his shift ends or he will miss the bus. Sometimes the person to replace him doesn't get there in time. I feel bad for him because he was just doing what he thought was best. Phylis watched us have our conversation from afar. Matt was so sweet about it all.

On our way out I said "Phylis, what is the deal with Matt not being allowed to work out here?"

She immediately got defensive and had a rude tone in her voice. "Oh, he is never to work out here again. He left the gate when there was merchandise outside."

Me: "So he never gets to work here again because he messed up one time?!?"

P: "People could have stolen and we just can't have him leaving the door like that..." She was getting all huffy.

Me: "I understand that is a big deal, but if you would just talk to him and explain the problem he'll get it right away. He won't do it again. You don't need to treat him like he is stupid. He isn't stupid at all!"

P: "OH! I didn't say he was stupid!"

Me: "Phylis, you talk down to him all of the time. He is so sweet he just takes it from you. I'll call his manager."

I was so mad I just walked away (and proceeded to cry a little, but that's beside the point). I was glad Andrea was there with me. I was glad that I told Phylis what I thought. I just feel so bad for Matt when people treat him that way. I never want his life to be one bit harder than it already has to be. He is such a good person. I have no doubt that his reward in Heaven is bigger and better than I could ever imagine. It's so hard to see him hurt, frustrated, or treated badly. I feel so protective over him. I can't imagine what it would be like to have a disabled child. I don't think I could stand it.

I did call his manager. He wasn't in big trouble. They love Matt there and he does a great job. I'm proud of him.

a bit of picture overload

I am too lazy to write about it all, but here are the last few I wanted to post from our recent family adventures for the reunion. It was a fun trip and I am glad we were able to be there. Matt's grandma is having health problems and it was a blessing for her to be there with all of us.

baby fishies

feeling so much lighter

Wow. I finally feel like I can update on Beckham boy. I finally feel like I have some answers. I finally feel better about the whole situation. About 3 weeks ago we took Beckham to a naturopath and a new pediatrician. They both had suspicions that Beckham wasn't absorbing or metabolizing nutrients right, and was bordering on malnourished. That made me so sad! I have been nursing Beckham his whole life (all 10+ months of it!), which is supposed to be the best nutrition he can get, and hearing this made me feel bad. It's probable that the main reason is that he was born too early. The naturopathist had us change his diet quite a bit, and also added some digestive enzymes for him to take. I even bought all of the food and made it myself; that was so rewarding and felt like such an accomplishment. Within a week I noticed a huge difference in Beckham's strength and balance. He was sitting without tipping, and could catch himself if he did start to fall. He started putting more weight on his legs, for longer periods of time. He seemed to have so much more energy.

The pediatrician had us redo all of the blood tests and get an abdominal ultrasound. I was kind of scared for that since we'd been bracing ourselves for a liver problem. We got the results that day--totally normal! I was so excited. We also had an appointment scheduled up in Grand Junction to see a pediatric neurologist at the end of the month.

While we were in Utah, miraculously we got in to see a pediatric neurologist at Primary's in Salt Lake City. Traci has this crazy network and always knows someone who knows someone. I have no idea how it worked out, but somehow we managed to get everything faxed up in time for the specialist to have Beckham's records when we got there. It saved us a lot of time and money being able to go to the doctor in SLC.

When we walked into Primary Children's my eyes immediately teared up. There was a precious little girl in a pink robe, a hat, and a little mask on her face getting out of a wheelchair to go into the gift store. I saw moms and dads carrying sick kids through the hallway. My heart felt so sad for these poor little ones. I thought about how just the day before we had been at a water park where kids laughed and splashed, and here these little babies lived in the hospital. It broke my heart and I empathized with their family members, and felt so grateful for my own children's health.

I was so impressed with the neurologist. He was personable, kind, and listened intently to everything I said. He came to the appointment with a giant folder full of Beck's records and it was clear he had already studied them and was up to speed on our situation. He did an exam and we were all so happy to hear that Beckham's reflexes are great and although his muscle tone isn't good, he still has good strength. Beckham was a little ham throughout the appointment talking and smiling. We took a developmental test and he measured at or above his age for cognitive ability, fine motor skills, socializing, etc. He tested at about a 6 month old for his gross motor skills, which was actually better than I expected.

Dr. Bale spent over an hour with us. He answered every question and explained everything clearly. He ordered more blood work (poor baby!) and included a few new tests we hadn't done yet. He was so thorough and at the end of the appointment said, "I feel so confident after seeing you. I don't want you to worry about this little guy. Call anytime if you need anything or have any questions." He told us that Beckham most likely has "congenital hypotonia" which basically means he has low muscle tone and will be slower in his physical development, but by age 2 or 3 he will be completely caught up. This news was such a relief.

Today I got a call from Dr. Bale himself, confirming that all of the blood tests run were completely normal, including the one that had been off the charts abnormal. The pediatrician we saw also had the same results. They both concluded that he had a virus that affected his liver when the original tests were run. He had been sick but we didn't correlate the two things. All of these answers have given us such peace of mind.

We've been continuing the diet and are still noticing huge improvements. We are going to get Beckham going in some physical therapy to help strengthen him. I'm going to enjoy the extra time I have of him being a baby, before he is running around like a crazy man. I am so thankful that everything is okay and that he will thrive.

afternoon in the park

I could take pictures of these babies all day. I am so in love with little McCoy. He has the cutest, sweetest personality. He reminds me so much of Kaden as a baby. He's so strong and wiggly, social and smiley. He is so expressive with his squinty eyes and eyebrows.

Heidi and I took the picture of us with the babies right before we left on a walk to put them to sleep. The clouds opened up and POURED on us. The little guys stayed dry, but Heidi and I got completely soaked. We actually enjoyed it and got in some good girl talk. The minute we got back to the park the sun came out again.

There are a lot of picture of Beckham, but I can't help it because those blue eyes are just so beautiful. I love the ones of Kaden and Dave on the swing. They were having so much fun. I was standing over 100 feet away and could still hear Kaden giggling loud and clear.

little character

If any picture says Kaden, this is it. That little man has more personality bundled up in his body than anyone I have ever known. He keeps me on my toes and keeps me laughing. He never ceases to surprise me with the acts he pulls. In fact, we've taught him to say, "I'm a circus act!" and he does so proudly.

The night we arrived in Utah we went to Matt's cousin Rich's wedding reception. There was a little fountain with a shallow pool. It was a hot evening and I was betting Kaden would be in that pool before the night was over. I watched as he started off just running around the pool. Then, dipping fingers and fists. Next, it was up to his shoulders as he lay on the brick and reached his arms in. He tested his luck with a little wading to the knees. Finally, he was all in. Splashing, swimming, blowing bubbles, and making a spectacle of himself. He had people gathered around taking his picture actually saying, "whose kid is this?". I joined in on the picture-taking and pretended I didn't know him. He was so happy.

He danced around with Grandpa for a while trying to air dry. These two are so cute together. Dave always makes such a big deal out of him swinging him around, wrestling with him, and having a grand ol' time. Kaden was giggling and beaming.

He decided he was ready for a towel. No such luck. How about a blanket? That wouldn't be happening either, since it was ninety degrees. The only thing I had on me was a nursing cover. So, I hung it around his neck and he proceeded to steal the show while he ran and jumped around like Superman. This kid is awesome.

The icing on the cake was that evening, he came around the corner completely naked and said, "look Mama, I have a tail!" Traci and I about died.

Like I said, he never ceases to surprise me with the crazy stuff he comes up with.