Magic Potty Day

Yesterday was a big milestone for Noah. Potty training! Up to this point he has shown absolutely no interest whatsoever to going peepee on the potty like a big boy. But we figured, at 4 years old, we just couldn't wait any longer for him to be "ready". They say that one of the biggest signs to look for is a child "asking" to go potty. Well, Noah just never did that. As a matter of fact, when we would ask him if he would like to try, he would begin to really fuss about it. Noah has gotten so big though, that I am really struggling to change his diaper anymore. So we felt it was time, plus with kindergarten right around the corner we need to get this under wraps.

The day yesterday went pretty well. We started off strong. We had a couple accidents through out the day, but we were trying to be very consistent about going every 10 minutes and just working our way up from there. He was all about the praises when he would go peepee on the potty and I even made a chart for him to mark his progress using NEMO stickers. I think he really liked that. He really wanted a DORY sticker, but those stickers are bigger/puffier so we thought we would save those for a big event (like poopoo). So we began to try and bribe him with a DORY sticker for that. We are also telling him, no downstairs (his play room) until he goes poopoo. We are nervous that he'll get down there and go in his pants because that is normally where he goes, because its private for him. I think towards the end of the day he was starting to understand that he needed to tell us when he needed to go, except that he was telling us just as he was beginning to go in his pants. I am sure we will get that part of it down before this long weekend is over. By the end of the day we were all very tired. LOTS of running back and forth to the potty yesterday, but I must say, we did feel successful. I think 4 accidents for a first day is pretty remarkable.

Today we are really going to try and push poopoo on the potty and we are starting out the day with 30 minute intervals. Also, today we are going out to visit my parents, so that puts a little more challenge in the training for us. But I know he can do this. We have already mapped out a couple places to stop and go potty.

We are so proud of our Noah!!! What a big boy!!!

Just got back from a long vacation...I think it was about 10 days altogether. We went down to Myrtle Beach. Great weather all week. A thunderstorm or two, but nothing that took an entire day in the sun away from us.

Kayla went through some big milestones while we were there. Not only did she cut ANOTHER tooth...her first front tooth on the top, but she also learned to crawl. My life is changing so quickly. She was into everything and all over the place.

Both kids were thoroughly entertained all week by their cousins. Kayla was doted on by all of them, while Noah was getting crazy with them. I think this beach trip really taught Noah how to interact with his sister. It is such a joy to me to see him finally acknowledging her.

Noah and Kayla both had a great time in the pool. We got Noah a blue tube to wear around his waist, he calls it the "blue sun" and he was able to float around the pool on his own without so much help from daddy and mommy (mostly daddy as I was tending to Kayla). Kayla had a baby floating device that was really great. Both our kids love being in the water.

We went to Broadway at the Beach a couple times for restaurants, but on the last day we were there we did some shopping and let Noah ride some rides.  Boy, did he ever have a great time.  He rode on a motorcycle ride that popped-a-wheelie during the ride (merry-go-round style).  But the one that gets 5 starts was the big trampoline thingy (have no clue what it was called).  He was beyond excited about it and once he got on...the look on his face was PRICELESS.  He actually got very mad at Daddy when it was time to take him off.  That is one we will remember forever and one I am sure he will go on each time we are there.  As a mom, to watch was a little terrifying...however, as happy as it made him all my fears melted away.

This week at home I have noticed Noah really watching after his sister and it really blesses my heart. He see's her picking up something or doing something she shouldn't be and he tells her no...almost like a warning to me to let me know she is in "danger". When she is napping he asks where she is...so cute. Its taken so long for him to even notice her and this is really just remarkable to me that he is doing this now. I think it took that time with his cousin's to see how they interact and react to each other and Kayla, for him to realize she is his sister and she needs him.

So now we are back to the old grind. Kevin went back to work yesterday and I felt super lonely without him. Its tough going that long having him right by my side, every day all day to him being gone all day again. I miss my babe!

Noah's Post-Op follow up

Yesterday we went to DC Children's to follow up with a CT Scan and with Dr. Myseros about Noah's progress since his shunt revision.  Dr. Myseros showed us the images from pre-op, post-op and then from yesterdays scan.  the results were unbelievable.  His ventricles were significantly smaller since his last scans.  Whats so amazing to me, is that Noah had been sick for so long and they kept ruling out his shunt because there was no change in his ventricles and the whole time, his ventricles were swollen and building up pressure, but they didn't notice the difference because they had been that way for so long.  Dr. Myseros wants to see him back in about 6 months for another CT Scan and follow up.

Noah is such a different child lately.  He's happy.  He's active and just a joy to be around.  We are so glad Noah isn't sick anymore.  What a blessing.

Jeremiah 29:11

A Wife of Noble Character

Proverbs 31 speaks of a Wife of Noble Character.  This is something I have studied off and on for many years.  This morning I am feeling the conviction to study it again.  I think my role as a wife in my own family is slightly lacking.  I have gotten completely caught up in my role as a mommy and in other roles that are less important than my roles in my own family and have somehow along the way, neglected my role as a wife. 

Being a wife is no small task.  It isn't about having that princess for a day wedding and then letting the husband take care of the rest.  God has given me a great calling in being a good wife to my husband.  My husband is an amazing man and together we have gone through a great deal in our marriage.  He deserves WAY better than what I have been giving him...as of late.  This has been heavy on my heart.  

So I am going to start by giving myself weekly challenges...although they may seem small to some and they may come easy to some...they are just things I would like to work on in my role as a wife and become second nature for me to do.  Practice makes perfect, right?!?!  These things may start out as tasks for me, but I would love for them to grow into things my husband looks forward to each day when he wakes up and when he returns from work and for them to become things I do without thinking about it, but just because I love him so much.  I want him to see how much I love him, not just hear it.

This week I would like to work on greeting my husband at the door as he gets home from work.  I want him to look forward to seeing my smiling face when he gets home and not have to worry about what he's going to be bombarded with upon coming home.  Like I said, although this may seem simple to some, it is something I (regrettably) don't always do.  I am ashamed to note how many times I have not had a pleasant greeting for him upon his return from a long day at work.  I don't want my husband to dread coming him.  I want him to look forward to it.  So after about a week or so, I want to update things I may notice through out the week as I do this.

So I haven't blogged in a while and I thought I might jot down some thoughts tonight since Kevin is running late getting home. Poor guy, he actually ran out of gas on 17. I feel so bad for him. So he is currently waiting for his friend Albert to get there with some gas for him. Albert is a good friend. Kevin didn't want me coming out all that way with the kids...although I would have done it, no questions asked. Its too hot to be stranded today.



I am currently watching Kayla as she scoots across the floor. She has been in the process (all day) of trying to crawl. It has been so awesome to watch. She's getting so close. I think that by the end of this weekend she will be getting along quite nicely.



Noah got his glasses this week and he looks absolutely adorable. Such a handsome little man and he is doing so good wearing them. I really thought we would be fighting with him on this, but he actually seems to really like them. He took them off today to lay down for a bit and I thought that would be it for the rest of the day...but he had them on when he came back upstairs. So proud of him.



I am going through a tough time this week. I have pretty much holed up in the house...other than a visit to my sister earlier in the week. My neighbor said some pretty "off" things to me this week and it really just crushed me. I spent a large part of the day crying about it and now I just don't even want to go outside and be around any of my neighbors. Really wondering what is being said behind my back...considering what was said to me on Monday.

(this was posted on facebook last night in case you may have seen it there)

I just wanted to send out an update on Noah. Some of you may or not know that Noah had surgery today...shunt revision. It has been a very long process getting to this point. Many months of vomiting, feeling sick and cranky, visits to the doctor and specialists ranging from Neuro-Surgeon, Neurologists, GI Specialist, Allergist to Ophthalmology...we have seen them all. Lots of long days in the car going back and forth trying to figure this out. In the past month Noah has had 3 hospital stays...including this one. We are currently at DC Children'sNational Medical Center. When we got here, more than ever before we were certain there was something wrong with his shunt. Yesterday they decided to tap his shunt...similar to a spinal tap they go right into the shunt. The result was bittersweet. The tap did not draw any fluid, which meant something was wrong with the shunt, which meant surgery (the bitter), which meant this was the answer that we had been praying for (the sweet) to all the vomiting, sickness and crankiness over the past several months.

Today, Noah's surgery was a success. They were able to get in and out fairly quickly and remove the old shunt and install the new one without having to adjust the tubing that drains the fluid from his head into his tummy. There were no major complications during the process. Noah is currently sitting up (somewhat) in his bed, watching Kung Fu Panda (for about the 20th time since we arrived here) and eating his 8th cracker (its all he wants and he gets whatever he wants right about now). Assuming all goes well tonight and after a clear CT Scan, we will most likely get to go home tomorrow.

Kayla has been just wonderful. She seemed very concerned for her big brother through out this process. Every time someone would come to adjust some wiring or mess with Noah, she would be straining her neck to check it out...almost as if making sure no one was hurting her big brother. It was very sweet to witness her concern in her own baby way. God's hand has been on Noah and all of us through out this process and we are so grateful to him for finally revealing the root of this problem. We are looking forward to many days without vomiting and I would be happy to never see a specialist or hospital again...where my kids are concerned.

Thank you all so much for your prayers. We have definitely felt them through out this. God has been so faithful...even in my very weak moments as a mommy watching my son go through this time in his life. We are so grateful that he has blessed both our children with very sweet spirits...especially for Kayla to be a baby and still manage to be so content with all these hospital stays and driving back and forth.

Thank you also SO MUCH for all the encouraging emails, FB messages and phone calls. It has really kept us strong and helped us get through this...we have the greatest friends and family that anyone could have. We are truly blessed!

Love and blessings back at ya!

---

http://www.marchforbabies.org/lyteyz

Peace be to you, and love joined in faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace (God's undeserved favor) be with you all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with undying and incorruptible love. AmenEphesians 6:23-24 Erin Wright

http://babiesonline.com/babies/w/wright/

What's Happening?

Hi Everyone!    First and foremost Kevin and I want to thank all of you SO MUCH for how you all banded together recently to lift up our son in prayer.  I have been told that the prayers went out all over this country for him and I must say...we DEFINITELY felt the prayers and saw how quickly God moved on behalf of our lil man!  It never ceases to amaze me how quickly our brothers and sisters in Christ will come together for us when we need them most.   As most of you know Noah has been having episodes of vomiting for the past several months and throughout this time we have been back and forth to several doctors to try and figure out what is going on.  At first, we were told he is just suffering from stomach flu and being a child in school with an already weak immune system we just have to let it run its course.  Ok, we'll except that for the first 2 times, but going on 3 and 4 and 5, I just knew it was something more than that.  So Kevin and I started to mark his episodes on the calendar and we very quickly noticed a pattern of every 2 weeks for 3 - 4 hours in the morning, every 20 to 30 minutes.  Then the last of the vomiting would taper off around 11am or noon and he would be completely fine for the rest of the day.  Eating, playing, acting as if he hadn't just spent the morning vomiting.  In the past couple months Kevin did some research on-line and found something called Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVS) and it sounded very similar to what Noah was experiencing.  The "scheduled" vomiting (making it cyclical), the associated pain and then all of a sudden fine as if nothing had happened.  So we printed it out and took it to Noah's pediatrician.  Unfortunately, CVS isn't something easily diagnosed.  There is no simple test to diagnose it.  They basically have to test for everything else and once everything else is ruled out, they diagnose whats going on with CVS.  So Noah's PED sent us down to UVA (our home away from home) to see a GI Specialist (Dr. Barnes).   Upon seeing Dr. Barnes he also mentioned the CVS, but had to rule out some other things first.  So he sent us home to do a "clean-out" that weekend of Noah's bowels.  This resulted in Noah becoming very sick again.  Dr. Barnes suggested we get a shunt work-up for Noah because the episodes seemed to be coming on my frequently.  So upon his next vomiting episode, which was this past Monday, we contacted Noah's Pediatrician and took Noah in to get a shunt work-up done.  This consisted of a CT scan of his brain as well as an x-ray.  The work-up proved to be inconclusive.  His Ped said it looked as if his 4th ventricle was slightly larger than the last scan we did, a year ago and he suggested we contact Noah's neurosurgeon.  Being that it was a Holiday we waited till Tuesday to contact them.   On Tuesday morning I was on my way home from Kayla's PT appointment when I got a call from Noah's school that he wasn't feeling well and that they had him lying down with a pillow and blanket.  So I contacted Children's Hospital and they suggested I go ahead and bring him in that day with his scans from the day before.  So I had to go back to the Winchester Hospital to pick up the scans and as I was doing that I received a call from Noah's school again that he had started vomiting, had a seizure and stopped breathing for a couple seconds, but that he was breathing again and on his way to the local hospital.  I was at least 40 minutes away from Noah and I knew that Kevin was even further.  As panic set in, I just began to cry out to God.  I prayed for protection over my son, for God to breathe his PERFECT breath of life into my son and for Him to help me calm down so I could drive and get to my son safely.    Once at the hospital I wasn't getting any clear answers about what happened and even the doctor just seemed completely out of sorts (in the 2 times I have been to this hospital, this seemed to be the way these doctors "work"...not good).  I must say though, on behalf of Noah's teacher's and school...they were amazing and I am so grateful to them for helping to take care of Noah in the best way they knew how.  I think they handled the situation completely professionally and it is very evident how much they love those children they work with...including my son.   Noah was flown to DC Children's where they ran a BUNCH of tests, scans and everything you can think of to try and figure out what was going on.  We saw Noah's neuro-surgeon who soon ruled out any shunt malfunction.  PRAISE JESUS!  He said Noah's ventricles looked fine and that the shunt appeared to be functioning properly.  We also saw a neurologist and had an EEG done.  The EEG showed no seizure activity and the neurologist believes the seizure was a result of the dehydration and stress from the episode he had.  We also saw a GI specialist while we were there and between her and the neurologist, they both strongly believe Noah has CVS, especially considering my family history with migraines (CVS is of the migraine family).  There are still a couple more out-patient tests they would like to have done to rule out any other scenario, but they are currently treating him for CVS.  Noah will have to see a neurologist on a regular basis and have just a couple more visits with his GI Specialist.   So in hopes of ending this novel I have written and let you all go on about your day...I just want you to know how much Kevin and I appreciate and love you all.  Your support and prayers last week really kept us 'afloat'...and not just last week, we realize its been on-going.  Sometimes I wonder if its ok to continue to ask for prayer support as much as we do...as if one has a limit on how much prayer they can ask for.  It really blesses us that you all continue to pray for us and with us and continue to befriend us through it all...that you haven't given up on us.   Much love and MANY BLESSINGS to you.   Kevin, Erin, Noah and Kayla Jeremiah 29:11