An Apple A Day...

We have had an awesome day!  Andrew had his cardiology appointment today.  We hadn't been there since June, and you might remember that we had so much trouble getting Andrew to cooperate.  He screamed during his EKG (they couldn't even get a reading), and we decided to skip the echo (heart ultrasound) thinking it would not go smoothly at all.  Dr. Mooradian had told us at that time, that if when we came back, we still couldn't get much info, that they would have to take him to the hospital and sedate him to have the tests done (yikes!)

So, needless to say, today I was slightly worried but cautiously optimistic.  We have been drilling "Elmo Goes to the Doctor" into his head, and I know that has helped him learn and understand more about the doctor.  We brought along his Elmo doll and stethoscope from his doctor's kit, and held our breath as we entered the office!

As it turns out...Andrew behaved perfectly! (Well, almost!)  He acted like such a big boy.  Everyone said how much more grown up he was this time, and daddy and I were so proud of him.

He never used to stand here to be measured.  Today he knew just what to do!

He was a little more unsure at the X-ray, but he's been really into bones lately (skeletons are his latest obsession), so we told him they were going to take his picture to see his bones, and it worked like a charm!

 

Here he is looking at his "bones" with daddy!

 

This is always the part he hates the most- the EKG.  Can you blame him??  How scary for a little guy to have to lay there (and lay perfectly still) with all these wires hanging off him.  He was so brave, and only cried a little.  He gave us the sad lip!

 

But once he found "Nemo" in the office, all was well!

 

While we waited to see Dr. Mooradian, he read a book with daddy....

 

And got into a little mischief, too! lol!

 

But he and Dr. Mooradian are old buddies, and Andrew let him listen to his heart without one peep!

 

He then sent us to have an echo.  Again, we held our breath.  Not only because we were worried he might not lay still (all these tests they have to lay so still!  How on Earth can anyone expect a 2 1/2 year old BOY to be still for this long?!) But we were also worried about what the results were going to tell us.  We were very prepared for the news that surgery loomed over our heads...

 

Well, this is pretty much how Andrew acted the entire time!  Once he discovered that they had Nemo on TV, all was well!  He was a happy boy!

 

Can you imagine a kid this excited to have an echo??

When it was over, Andrew roamed the halls and charmed the ladies into giving him 2 suckers!  When Dr. Mooradian came to share the results, we were beyond excited about what he had to say.  He said there had been no change (which is good- it wasn't worse!) since his last cath in February.  His pressures are remaining stable.  He said he feels Andrew can make it for quite some time with these pressures, without any need for surgery!  Woo hoo!  We will still have another cath (which we knew), but he even thought we might be able to put that off for a bit, too!  He contacted our doctor in Iowa City who will perform his cath, and he wanted him to have another lung profusion scan.  Big hospital terminology!  He had one of these done one other time when we were in Iowa City after a cath.  Basically it shows them if the blood pumping into his lungs is fairly equal on both sides.  Based on this info, they will decide when to proceed with his next cath.  We are hoping to be able to wait until February or so.  We are just so happy things went so well today.  We all went out to lunch to celebrate!

 

Andrew went on a field trip at school last week to the Apple Orchard.  It was a crummy, rainy day, but they had a lot of indoor activities for the kids so they still decided they could go.  I can't imagine how they are able to corral that many 2 year olds on a field trip and not lose one...but they manage somehow!  They said Andrew behaved very well and he had a great time.

 

Here he is on the bus on the way to the Apple Orchard!

And on the slide getting ready to land into the corn pool!

 

Here is his little class.  Aren't they adorable!  He cracks me up in the back, looking at the cute little girl instead of the camera!  Every night we say prayers for all his little friends at school.

 

Enjoying an apple!  (I tried to ignore how muddy his pants were! lol!)

So we are celebrating another good doctor visit.  We can only hope for more of those!  We will keep everyone updated on when we schedule the cath.  Thank you for continuing to pray for Andrew and our family!

**UPDATE: I made the comment section a little easier so it should work better to leave us a comment!  If you are an email subscriber, you can also click "Email author" at the bottom and I'll get the comment via email!  We love hearing from you!

A few of my favorite things...

There are two things I love about fall.  Well, okay, there are MORE than that, but there are two major things that give me warm fuzzies about this time of year...  Number one is decorating my house, and number two is baking our family's amazing pumpkin bread cake.  I thought I'd give you a digital tour of our home, and end with the recipe you've all been waiting for!  The only catch- you have to let me know if you make the pumpkin bread and how you liked it!

The weather has just been perfect for getting in the mood for fall, and I spent lots of time last week setting the mood around here!

I just love decorating our mantel.  I do it for almost every season, but fall and Christmas are my favorites.  I love to put lights among the foliage and shut all the other lights off but a couple of lamps.  Most evenings Craig and I can usually be found relaxing on the couch watching our DVR'd shows and enjoying the "mood" lighting!

This was another favorite purchase this year.  I found these adorable little pumpkin holders at a specialty shop in Clear Lake recently and just couldn't pass them up.  I knew they'd be perfect for adding to the fall fun around here!

Have you ever seen anything so cute!? Lol!

Recently I spray painted this little table for Andrew.  It used to be white on top with light wood around the edges- got it for $7 at a consignment shop and just gave it a makeover!  It fits perfect in the little corner of our kitchen so Andrew can sit and play, color, etc.  He loves his little "spot!"  We eat family dinners at the table together, but he enjoys having snacks here sometimes!

I used chocolate brown chalkboard paint just on the backs of both chairs so I could write Andrew's name on one chair and the names of his little friends that come over on the other one!

My mom got these beautiful place mats for me for my birthday this year and I just love them on my new table.  The colors are so rich.  I love fall colors- my house is even painted in fall colors!

 This is one of my favorite decorations- the shoes of the "wicked witch!"  I absolutely love the Wizard of Oz.  Every year I used to read the book aloud to my class and the kids would do a fun writing project, where they had to invent a new character from Oz.  Then I would create an elaborate Yellow Brick Road display on the bulletin board and we would always have a literature celebration by watching the movie as an ending to the unit.  The day we watched the movie, I would always bring these to school and stick them out from under my desk!  They were a hit!  The kids loved it and it was always fun seeing their faces when they walked in the classroom!

This is our dining room table.  I love to decorate this table and the hurricane candle holder for the seasons (mainly Christmas and fall again!)  At Christmas I fill it up with big Christmas ball ornaments.  I am still planning to fill it with little pumpkins and other fall decorations, but haven't found just the right things yet.

I like to use this little holder for candy on trick or treat night...in the meantime I fill it with fall napkins until the big night!

 

Ok...as I promised, I have the most delicious fall recipe for you all!  Our famous pumpkin bread cake!  This is by far, the most delicious pumpkin bread you'll ever taste!

 

You'll need a huge can of pumpkin. Yummy!  We use the big jar to make it extra moist! (29oz)

And here is the long awaited recipe:

Pumpkin Bread Cake 

3 C. Sugar

1 C. oil

4 Eggs

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. pumpkin spice

2/3 C Water

1 29oz can Pumpkin

3 1/3 C Flour

2 tsp Soda

Mix flour and soda in separate bowl.  Mix other ingredients together in a large bowl and add flour and soda mixture.  Now you have your batter- SOOOO yummy!  And super easy!  

From here, you can get creative.

You can fill bread pans like this:

  The batter will fill 4 pans this size, but only fill them up 1/3 full or it won't get done in the middle.

You can also fill smaller pans of any size.

You can make cupcakes and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Pretty much anything goes!  Experiment.  You won't be disappointed!

This little man wasn't!

He was waiting patiently for the bread to bake!  He kept saying "pumpkin bread?  Pumpkin bread?"

You just bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees (I do all 4 loaves at once for 30 minutes).  I just check with a toothpick.  I like it a little less done (more moist this way) but you can bake till the toothpick comes clean- whichever you prefer.  If you do cupcakes or smaller bread pans, you'll want to cut the time down though.  Don't overbake.

 

And, Wallah!  The finished product.  I bake 2-3 batches at a time and wrap in aluminum foil.  I keep them refrigerated and stash the rest in the freezer so I can just pull them out when one loaf runs out!  I could live on this stuff!

I hope you enjoyed the fall festivities!  If you aren't signed up to get email notices, it is even easier now- just look on the left sidebar and enter your email.  Feedburner will send you an email, which you have to activate by clicking the link they send you.  After that you're all set!  Just a side note- it'll email you my post in email format so to see the fun blog design and to have access to the links and things I post in my sidebar, you'll have to visit the actual blog.  When you get the email, there will be a link at the top to just click and it'll take you straight here!  No signing in!  I hear people are liking it better than the care page!  We just miss your comments.  Let us know you were here by becoming a follower (right sidebar), or leaving a comment.  We treasure your comments!

Happy Fall!

Blog Makeover!

First of all, I have to thank my dear friend, Stef, for helping me "makeover" my blog!  I hope you love the new look as much as I do!  I wanted 3 columns so I could post more information on the sidebars, plus I wanted to change the fonts and make it more "fun!"  Stef has worked so hard to help me, I appreciate it so much! :)

It has been a while since I last posted, and we are all feeling better now!  Andrew and I still have colds, but they are on the mend and hopefully out of our house, soon!  Andrew has been back at school and was glad to see his friends and teachers.  He was especially excited when Ga Ga picked him up early today and took him out for ice cream, though!  You can't beat an afternoon like that.

I have a couple of things I'd like to tell you all about... the first is the link on the top left corner of my sidebar.  A while back, Andrew and his heart buddy Logan (Stef's little boy) were photographed together for a CHD calendar that was beautifully created by another heart mom, Heidi Schmidt.  She is a gifted photographer, and took beautiful photos of heart children and made each month black and white photos with a touch of red.  Here is the picture for March:

And if that isn't cute enough to make you want to buy one...just click the link above to view the other beautiful heart children and calendar.  The profit made from these calendars will go to the American Heart Association, a cause near and dear to our hearts.  They are out in perfect time for Christmas and would make great gifts.  If you are interested in purchasing a calendar, please email me at jenandcraig@q.com and I'll add you to the list!

The next item of business is the next link on the left below the calendars... "Cuddles from the Heart."  We are collecting new blankets to donate to the University of Iowa Children's Hospital over the holidays.  If you or a group of people you know (church groups, classrooms, etc) would like to contribute, email me and I'll get you more information.  Last year we had many gorgeous blankets that were made by many loving hands, and we hope to do it again this year!  The fleece tie blankets are popular and super easy to do!  This would make a great holiday project to do with your kids to teach giving and helping others in need.

Do you love food and always want to prepare meals for your family but never seem to find the time to make something SIMPLE?

Andrew's school is holding a fundraiser to help purchase supplies and curriculum for his school.  This is very important to us, since Andrew will be attending until he's school age.  He is already learning so many awesome things there, and the teachers do such a nice job with the kids.

If you haven't heard of Tastefully Simple, you should try it out!  They have delicious foods you can buy that can be prepared in a snap, and with very little or no ingredients to add.  There are some great gift ideas for the holidays, too.  My personal favorite is the Bountiful Beer Bread...just add a can of beer to the mix and ooohhhh so delicious!  It bakes in under an hour.

Here's the best part:  You don't have to live close to order.  Anyone can!  Just go to this website, pick out what you want, and it'll be shipped directly to you!  Easy, right?  Simple, actually. Oh, and I lied...the BEST part is, YOU get to enjoy delicious food delivered right to your door, and WE get to enjoy $100 off a week of day care if we are the top sellers!  Now that is a real treat.

All you have to do is email me at jenandcraig@q.com and let me know you ordered, so I can make sure your order goes in with Andrew's order form.  All orders need to be placed by October 16th and will arrive at your home on or before October 27th.  Please let me know if you have any questions or need help with your order!  If you'd like to order something directly from me you can also email me what you'd like, your address, and I'll get it ordered for you.  You just need to mail me a check for your order (email me for my address).

Thanks so much for checking in on us, and for your support as always.

First School Pictures!

Andrew is an official big boy now... no, he's not entirely potty trained yet, BUT... he's had his first school pictures taken!  I seriously just about lost it when I picked him up and saw these pictures.  ADORABLE!!!!!  He looks like SUCH a big boy I just can't believe it.  Complete with the bite mark and bruise in the middle of his forehead, I'd say they are still pretty gosh darn adorable.

We've had a rough week at our house.  Last Friday Andrew's school called and said he had gotten sick so Craig went to pick him up early.  He was sick the whole weekend.  We were sad because we were supposed to go to Minneapolis to Andrew's cousin Jack's birthday party.  We hated to miss the fun!  This was really the first time we've ever had to cancel something because of Andrew being sick...I am sure it has only just begun, with him joining the germ world this year and being in school.

Monday we kept him home one more day (and mommy started to feel bad, too!) but on Monday night another round of sickies hit him and so we kept him home Tuesday and today, too.  He's been to the doctor twice, had blood work and xrays and everything looks fine.  He has no fever (thank goodness), but we were still getting worried about him.  He has a bad cough, which the doctor thinks was making him get sick so much.  She said it is probably sinus related, since he mainly coughs at night.  He is on the strongest antibiotic now, so we hope he's on the mend.  Mommy is feeling a little better, but I've missed two days of school this week too.  I can't wait for the weekend and for this long week to be over.  We want to be healthy again!  Thankfully, daddy has escaped things as of now.

I have to share a funny story about Andrew going to the doctor... I took him in on Monday to have his cough checked out (for the 2nd time in a month).  He was practically angelic the entire time.  I wish I had brought my camera, because he had this adorable little hat on, which he would not take off.  He actually walked over to the table and tried to climb up so she could listen to him.  He sat perfectly while she looked in his ears, and listened to him (he has never done that before!)  Then he even laid down on his own and she needed to check his throat.  So the doctor and I played a little "game" and said "Aaahhh" and looked in each other's throats, as Andrew watched very intently.  Pretty soon, he joined right in and said "Ahhhhhhh!"  It was too funny.  She got a quick peek and we had not one tear shed!  It was a miracle!  I am telling you, "Elmo Goes to the Doctor" is the best video on the market!  He has learned so much from watching that!  He is obviously not scared anymore, and he knows what to expect.  I highly recommend this movie to parents!

When we were leaving we walked over to get a sucker.  Andrew picked one out and said "Thank you, doctor."  It was the funniest thing ever!  We just laughed and laughed at him in his little hat standing there eating his sucker.  He is just growing up so much and getting cuter by the day (if that's possible).

Lately Andrew has been so cute about wearing his hearing aids.  When he wants to watch a movie if it is before we have them in for the day, he'll walk over to where we keep them and say "Andrew hearing aids???"  It is so adorable.  Also a sign that they are helping him, and he notices a difference when he wears them.  He never pulls them out anymore (well, only when he gets mad!  That is his coping tactic!)  and he is so good about wearing them.  He is learning so much at school.  He's eating better and talking a ton.  We are so proud of him!

 

Please pray that Andrew is on the mend and we all stay healthy and can avoid the dreaded H1N1.  I am so paranoid about it and one case has already hit Andrew's school (a before and after school elementary age child-so not in his room and not there during the day...but STILL!)

Happy October! :)

More Birthday Fun

Thanks for all the birthday wishes on Facebook, emails, cards and comments!  I had a great birthday celebrating with my family- the only way I'd be happy!

This morning was extra special because I got to go in late to work to take Andrew to the audiologist.  Yeah, who knew I'd be celebrating taking Andrew to the doctor!?  It was extra special time with my buddy.  We had breakfast together and sang to Elmo in the car.  Dropping him off at school was the worst part of the day, though...for both of us!  I think he thought we were going to spend the day together (oh how I wish...) and he screamed and was reaching for me when I left.  It was pure torture.  Of course I called after 15 minutes and he had forgotten all about me. :)

My sweet husband had a beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered to school today!  I was so excited!  They are so pretty and look like fall.  I couldn't decide if I should leave them at school to enjoy them on my desk, or bring them home.  I ended up bringing them home so I could enjoy them more this evening!  I just love flowers!

                            

The original plan for this evening was to head to Ames and eat out at my all time favorite restaurant, Hickory Park.  We still ended up doing this, but the second part of the plan didn't work out.  I really wanted to go to the Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University to take Andrew to the Butterfly House and to see the exhibit there- they have "dinosaurs" set up throughout the gardens and I know he'd love it.  We found out when we got there that they were closed!  :(  I was sad because I really had wanted to do this for my birthday.  The first birthday I had after my dad passed away 6 years ago, we went to the Butterfly House and it was so special.  Butterflies land all over you and it just made me feel like my dad was there.  I loved it.  We hope to get back there sometime this month before the dinosaur exhibit is over.  We'll have to go on a weekend since they close early on weeknights.

We still had fun at Hickory Park (how could you not?)  They sang to me and I got a free brownie sundae, my favorite!  I didn't get many pictures, but here are a few...

Andrew was being silly and making everyone laugh, as usual (including everyone in the restaurant!)

 

He likes to give out hugs when he wants something...in this case it was him wanting to sucker Ga Ga into taking him out of the booth to go run around!  (Do you think it worked??)  If you aren't sure...than you don't know my mom!  Lol!

Looking positively angelic...BBQ sauce on the face and all!

 

The best part of my day!

Thanks again for all the birthday wishes!  I am so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends!