another kid had a birthday! queue the blog post!

Apparently, I have forgotten how to type.

Or maybe I have just become so accustomed to Instagram & Facebook - aka, the mini-blogs - that I just don't think about my real blog anymore. I was reading an article the other day about introverts (for some reason I have been seeing a lot of those lately; not sure why). As I was reading along, thinking "Oh, that is SO me!", I noticed one point made in the article; that introverts tend to constantly run an inner dialog (me) and enjoy writing (me). Except when I thought that to myself, I realized I hadn't written anything on my blog in a long time. Other than my last post, which was really a sad excuse for an update in my life. But it did kinda sorta get me caught up - in that you are all now aware that my daughter is three. So, having said that...

Tyson is ONE!!

Well, actually, he is now almost 14 months. But he did have his first birthday, and we did celebrate, and there were pictures. My nephew's birthday is on Halloween, just 2 days after Tyson's. So we celebrated the boys' 1st & 2nd birthdays together, with a Superhero party. Here are a few shots of the fun day! (That occurred almost 2 months ago...whatever.)

Happy 1st Birthday, Tyson!!

an update - finally.

This blog has been neglected. As if you couldn't tell.

I love to write, and I enjoy it. But it is just not a priority for me right now. What takes up my time, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. Better yet, I'll show you.

I know you already knew I would say that. You already know that parenting two small children takes time away from blogging. On the other hand...I read blogs of moms of young kids all the time. I honestly don't know how they do it! I guess blogging is just more of a priority for them in what little free time they have. I also work part time at a job that I absolutely LOVE, so blogging during naps isn't usually an option since I'm at the office as much as I can be. Hopefully someday I will get back into the swing of it. I occasionally have some jumbled up thoughts come to mind, regarding adoption, or religion, or parenting...and it's usually when I'm in the shower or driving down the road, and by the time I get anywhere near a computer, I'd rather be reading or eating or napping. Such is life!

To keep some resemblance of a journal of my kids, I'll post a few pictures of them that our good friend Allena Burbage took. These are Tyson's 3-month pictures, and a few of Natalie just before she turned 3. [Oh yeah...by the way...Natalie turned 3!! Pics of her party to come. I kinda forgot to post about it. ;-)]

Have a great weekend, y'all!!

still here!

Yes, I am still here. See, here's the thing: I have an active toddler and a newborn. So, blogging isn't a priority for me right now; survival is. And sleep. ;-) I know there are lots of mommies out there who blog consistently, but I am just not one of them! Anyway, I wanted to do a quick update on how things are going with Tyson.

He has a cardiologist here in town, and we have had 2 checkups with him so far. Both went really well. They did find a premature heartbeat during the first visit, and he had to wear a 24-hour heart monitor to determine how frequent those heartbeats were. They were happening often enough to warrant a new med, which would be his second heart-related medicine for us to administer. Fortunately at his next visit, there were no premature heartbeats, so the medicine is working! Other than that, everything heart-wise looks GREAT!

We did have to start him on Zantac for reflux, but that almost seems trivial considering he had heart surgery at 1 week old. ;-) Although it does mean we are administering 3 meds every day: one 3x per day & two 2x per day. It's a little annoying to remember that on top of everything else that comes with a baby, but we are blessed that meds are all we have to worry about right now.

He is gaining weight well. He will be 3 months old in 4 days, and he weighs 10lbs 11oz. He has also been approved to receive the Synagis injection to help prevent or reduce the severity of RSV. It is very expensive so insurance companies will only approve it for high-risk babies, and Tyson was approved to get the monthly injection throughout the cold/flu season. This is great news, considering how rampant RSV is right now in this area!

Here are a few pics of Tyson to show how much he's grown. Sorry this is short & sweet, but I've got 2 kids napping & things to do before they wake up! ;-)

 {the day we left Charleston, at 5 weeks old}

 {Merry Christmas! Natalie: 2 years 9 months; Tyson: almost 2 months}

 {Sorry, had to sneak in this pic of us because Natalie looks adorable here ;-)}

 {Roll Tide! National Champions!}

 {Showing off his scar}

 {He started smiling at about 2 1/2 months old}

{Natalie adores him & is such a good big sister!}

bittersweet chaos

The past month & a half has been a little chaotic for us, to say the least. ;-)

Let me sum it up for you in pictures:

Tyson Nolan H. just after birth, about to have an urgent heart catheterization

 Happy Halloween from the NICU at MUSC!

Trunk or Treat at a local church in Charleston

 Moved to the PCICU; this was taken a few days before the heart surgery

Happy birthday Baron!! Holding Tyson for the first time, the night before surgery.

Exploring Charleston

 Finally in a private room in the step-down unit

 Handsome.

 Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunset on the harbor

So happy to have family with us!

Granmama was so much help on this trip!!

There is always time for tickles.

 Going home from the hospital!!

 

 

One month old, and 2 days before heading HOME to Alabama!

I will post more about this wonderful adoption experience at a later time. We have been home from Charleston for almost two weeks now, and we are still adjusting to life with a newborn, and life with two kiddos. :-) Needless to say, spending over a month away from home - 8 hours away from home, to be exact - took its toll on me. More to come on that later. Right now I need to catch some zzz's before my next early-morning feeding. :-)