Tyler's Tubes

Tyler got his first ear infection in December 2015 and has had six more since then. He finally got a set of tubes today! I hate sending my babies back for any sort of surgical procedure, but this was definitely one I was so ready for. Tyler has such a hard time with ear infections, and I hope we're done with them now. 

Tyler and I arrived at the hospital at 6:45 this morning for his 8:15am procedure. He did so well while the nurse checked his vitals and while we visited with the ENT and anesthesiologist. When the time came for Tyler to go to the OR, he willingly went to the nurse. He refused to let go of his precious Zebra, though, so they went back to the OR together. The procedure only took a few minutes, and the ENT said it went well. By the time I got called back into recovery, Tyler was awake and sitting up in bed. He drank some apple juice and then we snuggled while the recovery room nurses went on and on about how adorable he was. We were able to leave after about an hour in recovery and were at the hospital for a total time of about three hours. It was so easy, and Tyler was a perfect patient!

One final note... that Integris bear in the photo? We have four of them now... a collection of cheap plush animals to remind me of the thousands of dollars we've spent there. I sure hope that collections stops at four, but I won't be surprised if we add a few more.

We Moved!

After years of dreaming, months of planning, and more months of construction, we finished our new house! We moved in mid-May and are still getting settled. I was so excited about having a new house and no "home projects", but that's a joke! We're constantly busy hanging artwork, organizing cabinets and closets, shopping for a few key pieces of furniture, and making way too many trips to Lowe's for all sorts of random little things. I'm also adjusting to having a little further drive to work and Caleb's therapies, shopping at different stores, picking up the occasional takeout at different restaurants, etc. It's crazy how moving just a few miles changes so much! 

I plan to blog much more about our whole home building experience, but for now I'll leave you with some photos that our builder had taken. They're from a photoshoot that they did a couple days before we moved in.

More info and photos can be found on Houzz: http://www.houzz.com/projects/1755973/steepleview

Photo credit: QProPhoto

Builder: OklaHome Home Builders

Happy Birthday, Daddy

Happy birthday, Brad! The boys and I love you so much!

All photos by Anna Bryan Photography

Tyler - 15 Months

Weight: 21 lb, 15 oz

Length:  30.5"

Clothing size: 18 month shirts, 12 month pants

Shoe size: Size 3 or 4 (depending on the shoes)

Diaper size: Size 4

Eating: Tyler weaned from nursing at about 12.5 months and transitioned to drinking whole milk easily. As for food, he likes pizza, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, string cheese, chicken, raisins, dried blueberries, and peanut butter Cheerios. He also still likes baby food pouches... sometimes they're the easiest way for me to make sure he's getting his veggies. Most "real" veggies just get tossed on the floor these days.
Sleeping: Tyler goes to bed at about 8:00-8:30pm and wakes up around 7:00-7:30am. Up until about six weeks ago, he was still waking up several times each night. We tried some sleep coaching" and within a few nights, he was sleeping like a champ! And now we're all sleeping better! Tyler usually takes an afternoon nap at about 1:00 and sleeps for 1-2 hours. Sometimes, he takes a short morning or late afternoon nap... usually those happen in the car seat when we're driving somewhere. 

His days: Tyler goes to Mother's Day Out three days each week. When he's not there, he tags along with me to all of Caleb's activities (therapies, swim lessons, etc.). On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, Tyler and I have a few hours to ourselves while Caleb is at pre-k. We usually run errands or do something fun like go to the science museum or a playground.

Highlights of the last three months: Tyler is taking some steps now. I wouldn't quite consider him an "independent walker" but he is so close. 

Go Girl Run OKC

Last Thursday evening, I was looking ahead to the weekend and dreading the 11 mile run I had on my schedule. I'm in the middle of training for the OKC Memorial half marathon that'll be toward the end of April. I needed to get that run in, but it just sounded long, hard and boring. And then I remembered that I recently heard about a half marathon that was happening in OKC on Saturday... the Go Girl Run. Some sick running-obsessed part of me actually thought that running 13.1 miles with a bunch of other runners would be more fun than running 11 solo. So anyway, I got online and realized that I had until 11:59pm that night to register. I debated about it for about an hour and finally registered at 11:04pm... 30.5 hours before the race would begin. The longest I've run since early January was nine miles, but I figured it was worth a try.

The race started at 6:30am in downtown OKC and went through some fun neighbhorhoods (Deep Deuce, the Paseo District, Crown Heights, the Plaza District, etc.). I didn't go into the race expecting much, other than hoping I'd survive that last 2.1 miles I didn't feel totally prepared for. The run actually went better than expected. I finished in 2:20:46, and I missed my PR by only 76 seconds. Not too bad. The OKC Memorial half marathon is just a few weeks away, so the training continues on. Maybe I'll set a new PR at that race?!

3/21 - World Down Syndrome Day

March 21st. 3/21... representing Trisomy 21 (three copies of the 21st chromosome). World Down Syndrome Day!

Four years ago, I had no idea that this day existed. And this year, I found myself perfectly balancing our normal routine and taking some time to celebrate Caleb and this community of individuals my precious boy introduced me too.

Selfie with Mom before pre-k

The "so cute" pose - just for you Jaime!

Caleb spent the day as he does most Mondays... pre-k, a visit to Gigi's house and swim lessons.

For the last few months, I've been on a committee that was planning a luncheon for World Down Syndrome Day. Sean McElwee is a 22 year old self advocate from California and is on A&E's series, Born This Way. He was the keynote speaker at our luncheon! I was so excited to meet Sean and his mom, Sandra. I had so many questions to ask Sandra since she's 19 years ahead of me in this journey... but I totally forgot them all in that brief moment. Oh well. It was still great to meet them, and I can't wait for the second season of "Born This Way" to air this summer!

World Down Syndrome Day

March 21st is World Down Syndrome Day! We have a couple fun activities planned that day, and we would love for you to join us in celebrating Caleb and the rest of the Down syndrome community! If you are the proud owner of a Team Caleb shirt, please wear it on Monday! Take a photo and either send it to me or post it on your social media account! We'd love to see you celebrating our little guy!

OKC friends, head to 23rd Street for dinner Monday evening! Back Door BBQ and Big Truck Tacos will donate 10% to the Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma! 

And while you're here reading this blog post, check out this beautiful video!