Fun in the Sun, sort of......

We have spent two weekends at the lake and unfortunately the weather was not that great either weekend.  We still made the best of it and played at the cabin and took a nice boat ride.  We were bundled up for the ride but it was worth it.  The day turned out to be beautiful in spite of the wind. Nathan wasn't that impressed with the boat, he decided he was tired and took an hour nap while we just cruised around the lake. On Sunday Brandon and I did brave it and took out the skis.  I am glad we went out we had a good time. It was a little chilly but it was worth it, the water was a whopping 58 degrees.  I can't wait for warm summer days when we can play at Sandy Beach all day and enjoy some splish splashing fun! 

 

Weekend 1 and 2 at the lake! Many more pictures to come!

Bumps, Bruises and Scrapes

Now that Nathan is walking he has had some pretty good tumbles.  Most of the time he doesn't care if he falls, he just gets him self back up and continues going 100 mph.  A couple of weeks ago I commented to Brandon that Nathan surprisingly didn't have very many marks from all his falls.  The next day that statement went down the drain.  Day 1: He hit his mouth on his rocket and blood was gushing. Day 2: He went for the ribbons on his bumper and took a tumble, he hit his forehead.  He had a nice goose egg that evening. Day 3: He was getting ready to take a bath and was going  a little to fast and rammed his head into the tub.  Even with all those falls none of them have slowed him down. Go, Go, Go. 

Mothers Day

I am so blessed to have the privilege of saying I am a mom.  On June 4, 2009 my world was forever more changed for the better. Nathan Paul Ahrenholtz graced us with his presence at 4: 00 a.m. via C-Section. Since that day Nathan has been such an added joy to my life.  The past 11 months have been scary, amazing, overwhelming, joyful and so many other emotions and I wouldn't trade a minute of it!

I love......
his smile
his sweet little hands and feet
his giggle
the way he walks
how he points to objects
when he puts his little fingers around mine to walk hand and hand
his crocodile tears
to watch him sleep
his kisses
his big brown eyes that are so curious

I love everything about my sweet,  sweet boy Nathan Paul Ahrenholtz! Thank you for coming into my life and giving me the opportunity to be your mom.

Nathan picked out a balloon for me and he sure did love it! We grilled for lunch with my parents and Nathan had a wonderful time learning about the fine game of football with grandpa Paul and exploring the world outside of the house (so happy the weather was nice today). 

I was blessed with some great gifts. Brandon let me sleep in Saturday and Sunday(my usual sleep in day is Saturday, his is Sunday sleep is a big sacrifice thank you love!.) My boys treated me to a pedicure Saturday morning, a digital frame and a beautiful necklace, I absolutely love it!  Check out more jewelry by Nicole Owens- Sweet Tea Shoppe, handmade goodness! 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetTeaShoppe

The jewelry box was a sweet gift from my mom.  I love Willow Tree stuff, even though Brandon thinks they are creepy : )

The BIG day

We have been anticipating this day for about six weeks.  The day that Nathan would have his first surgery and hopefully only surgery to repair his "plumbing". We journeyed down to Colorado Monday morning after we received a clean bill of health from our pediatrician in Laramie.  His ears were clear of infections, his lungs and heart sounded "strong", praise GOD!  Our first stop was the Denver Zoo.  It was Nathans first time to the zoo and we were so excited to introduce him to the world of wild animals.  Unfortunately Nathan wasn't so jazzed about the idea the first 30 minutes of the adventure.  He woke of from a 40 minute nap and was a little groggy. Once we got to the monkey exhibit he began to perk up.  He jibber jabbered the rest of the time we were there.  It was a lot of fun for the whole family.

 

After the zoo we were off to NeeNee and Uncle Jared's house for dinner and conversation.  Once we got there Nathan began playing with Mattie, the Dryers beagle.  Which confirmed to Brandon that Nathan needs a dog : ) Nathan got a bath, dinner and a bottle and was off to bed.  We stayed up and chatted for a while and then hit the sack too.  Nathan didn't sleep so well in the pack and play and was much more cozy in bed with us.  Secretly I was hoping he would wake up so I would have an excuse to cuddle with him all night.    4:00 a.m. came to quickly but we knew we had to face the day.

We arrived at The Children's Hospital by 5:30, got checked in and we were back prepping for surgery by 6:30.  Many nurses and doctors came into meet us and Nathan to reassure us and give us a run down of the events that would be taking place.  Nathan was wonderful!  He did great when nurses would check him out.  He would just look and you could see the wheels turning, wondering what they were doing, so cute.  He played with his Grandma and Grandpa Ahrenholtz, read some books and cuddled with us.  At 7:40 a nurse came to get him to take him back and he waved bye-bye and we stood stunned.  He has been rather clinging but not this morning, he went right to the nurse.  I know it was God telling me that everything would be fine.  Thinking about it makes me tear up, goodness. Once he left we shed our tears and bucked up and went to have breakfast and attempt to take our minds off of the surgery.  We were blessed to have both sets of Grandparents, Aunt Rene and our Pastor Brad Eakin sit with us while we waited.

Nathan pre-op playing and having fun

It was after 10:00 a.m. when the doctor came out and explained what they had done during the procedure.  Nathan had a kink in the "tube" that allows the urine to flow from the his left kidney to his bladder. Once the kink was cut the bladder relieved a large amount of fluid. The problem was a little more serve then they first thought.  They had to put in a stint to make sure things didn't swell and close up during the healing process.  We will have to return to The Children's Hospital in 6 to 8 weeks to remove the stint.  It will be an outpatient procedure, they will need to put him to sleep but he should be good to go after a few hours.

We were moved to Nathan's room around 11:00 a.m and that was when Nathan was finally starting to come out of the grogginess.  My parents were his first visitors and he was so happy to see them.  It was cute to see his reactions to all of his guests.  He loves all of his grandparents and aunts and uncle.  We just love to see him interact with them.  Nathan was smiling and laughing and enjoying his company before his afternoon nap.  He didn't have any bad reactions to the anesthesia  he was given.  He had 8 oz of juice, 4 oz of formula and had a few yogurt melts,  less than an hour after he woke up from surgery.

As the day progressed Brandon and I learned how to change the dressing covering his drain.  Nathan finally went to bed around 8:30 p.m. and Brandon and I soon followed.  Unfortunately our night was interrupted at midnight, 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. by nurses coming and going.  I understand it was necessary I just wish Nathan could have got a little more sleep.  On Wednesday morning we were discharged around 10:30 a.m.  Nathan was fast asleep before we reached the interstate and didn't wake up until Cheyenne.  We were all happy to be home.  Nathan had a ton of energy when we got home and was so excited to play with all of his toys.  We put him down for a nap and you could just tell he was relieved to be in his own bed. Home sweet Home!

We are so blessed that everything went well and that he is continuing to heal.   We are so grateful for such amazing friends and family members that continue to support us.  Thank you! Thank you!  We can't say it enough.

You Capture-Spring

Ah spring....I would love it if spring would show up.  Unfortunately we live in Wyoming and it is still snowing here.  Someday......

We did have the opportunity to go to the Denver Zoo and experience spring time in Colorado, oh how I miss you Colorado weather. 

It was the perfect day not to cold not to warm.  All the animals were out and active.  What a great day with my boys!

Spring time in Wyoming

Spring time in Colorado

 

Spring time at the Denver Zoo

You Capture-Sweet

I have a major sweet tooth, I love ice cream and cookies almost anything that isn't good for me.  Our new alternative is a jello cup or pudding with yummy whip cream.  Don't get me wrong I still splurge and eat ice cream!

I can't get enough of this sweet, sweet boy!  Nathan loves to look outside, I love to watch him and wonder what he is thinking.

Sweet moments I get to spend with my monkey playing Peek-a-Boo!

Spring colds are NO fun!

Last Tuesday I  felt the start of a nasty cold coming on.  I drank an E-mergency and hoped it was just allergies.  The next morning I woke up stuffy and feeling miserable.   I was hoping that this cold would go quickly like the one I had a few months ago, but no luck.  I was also hoping that Nathan wouldn't get sick, but that didn't happen either.

I went to the doctor on Thursday and got antibiotics to treat a sinus infection. Friday morning Nathan woke up stuffy and with a fever.  Poor little guy, he sounded horrible.  He wasn't eating well because he couldn't breath.   Unfortunately Nathan and I weren't doing any better by the weekend.  Saturday was Brandon's Birthday and we ended up spending the day sleeping and hanging out.  I felt so icky all week that I didn't even get out to get Brandon a gift ( I'm a bad wife).  Thankfully my mom came to the rescue, again, she made Brandon's favorite, green chile, potatoes, and beans, she also brought us dessert.  (I have the best mommy!)  He had a few cards to open and a present from his grandma so we celebrated a little.  I am planning on doing something this weekend to make up for the bummer of a day.  (If you have any ideas pass them along.)

On Monday we decided to take Nathan to the doctor because he had been messing with his ears, a lot!  My main worry was that he wouldn't be well enough for surgery April 27th so that was my motivation to go to the doctor.  He is being treated for double ear infections and our doctor wants to see us next Monday morning before we leave for Colorado to give us the o.k. Nathan and I still aren't feeling 100% but slowly we are getting back to normal.  Hopefully he will continue to heal so the surgery can still happen next Tuesday.  I am not excited for the surgery but I just want it over with.  I would hate to have to postpone it.

Yesterday I decided to take out the camera and document our sick day play.  Nathan loves to walk his wagon all around the house.  He also likes to be silly during meal time.  We usually don't let Nathan watch TV but since he is sick he needs a break and the only way we get him to do that is by putting on  

Praise Baby.