Catching up...and a cardiology update!

Well hello (as Elijah would say)! It's been a loooong time since my last post, yikes. Life has been a bit of a blur, but in a nutshell: we celebrated Easter (quietly this year), E had a cardiology check-up, we have enjoyed our new backyard like crazy, I visited a friend in Reno for a few days, Elijah has suffered from seasonal allergies (boo), Dan has been crazy busy at work, I turned a cookbook manuscript in to a publisher and we got our RV out of storage for the summer! Whew!

Dan is guiding a tour in Washington DC for the next few days, so the boys and I are hanging out and enjoying this delicious weather. We let both boys take the day off from school yesterday and we drove south of the Cities to retrieve our RV that has been sitting in storage since early November. The boys have wanted to do EVERYTHING in the RV, which is currently sitting in our driveway. They want to eat meals in it, play in it and watch movies in it. The second it rolled into the driveway, my entire mood changed. That RV signifies peace for me, for all of us. I love having it close and I love the idea of traveling with my cuties again this summer! 

Elijah's cardiology check-up last month went great! The stenosis in his valve is in the mild-moderate range, but heart function was great and there are no immediate concerns. In six months he will get a cardiac MRI (his first) and we'll go from there. The MRI will be able to tell us much more accurately what is going on inside his heart. Yay for another good report!

Here's hoping that May not be as crazy as April! Thanks for peeking in...have a great rest of your weekend.

December update!

Where has this month gone? We are still here! We have been swept up in the busy-ness of the season. The boys are wrapping up their last day of school before winter break as I type. Due to impending snow, they are getting out a bit early today. They will have 2 1/2 weeks off of school! I've worked hard to get Christmas shopping and wrapping mostly done by today so I can spend quality time with them next week and the week after.

I don't have a ton of share-worthy info, but wanted to check in. Dan and I are spending a night away from home tonight while the boys sleep over with their cousins. It'll be a fun night, all around! Tomorrow it is supposed to get as low as -25 degrees (without factoring in wind chill), so we will be all cozied up!

My next post will be more exciting. :) Thanks for peeking in! Enjoy your weekend!

Halloween 2015 and an update

I was hoping that we got sickness out of the way for a bit, but it has invaded our home again. Yesterday Sammy had a fever and sore throat so we kept him home from school today. As the day went on I noticed he was swallowing more and more gingerly, so I took him to the doctor right before the clinic closed. Thank goodness I did because he has strep! We got Elijah tested, too, and he's in the clear for now. Sammy and I will have another day tomorrow of chillin' at home. Not that I ever wish for my boy to be sick, but I LOVED our time together today. 

I'm so glad the sickness struck after Halloween! The boys had such a blast dressing up and going trick-or-treating. I don't know if I have ever seen Sammy so excited and happy. He was bouncing off the walls, even before the sugar entered his body. :) Sammy decided to do his own thing with his pumpkin this year and I love it. He even carved most of it by himself!

Sammy and Elijah dressed up as Fear and Anger from Inside Out. They love that movie SO MUCH and have been so excited to personify these cute little guys. My talented mom knitted Sammy's sweater vest. Isn't it perfect?! I think they both looked so darn cute.

We went trick-or-treating at a nearby mall and the boys got TONS of candy and had fun hanging out with a couple of their awesome cousins. In standard fashion, our organized Sam came home and immediately began counting his loot in perfectly straight rows. 54 pieces (or something like that)!

Elijah isn't quite as organized with his candy, but he of course still enjoyed it!

Our boys are so different in just about every way. Dan and I always know not to touch a single piece of Sammy's candy stash because he will know immediately that something is amiss. Elijah gets excited about acquiring candy and enjoys eating it, but not to the degree that Sammy does and without so much forethought and organization. IF...we "steal" candy at all, it is from Elijah's stash because usually by the next day it is off his radar. :)

Aside from Sammy's sickness, we have had a great past few days. We are still adjusting to things in this new life of ours with Dan working "normal" hours and with Elijah being able to handle so much more than ever before. For literally the first time since before I got pregnant with Elijah, we feel like we have room to breathe. We are able to go above and beyond with some things, which is actually probably just "normal" for most people. We have scraped by for so long and it feels good being in the place we're at. I have been printing and hanging pictures on walls, keeping up with laundry, reading books, keeping up with Elijah's homework and so much more. Life is good!

Speaking of Elijah and homework, he is doing so much better with it this year. I sit down with him every weekday after school that he doesn't have therapy. His teacher told me to JUST have him do 2 problems per section so we don't overwhelm him and that is going well. I usually hear a few BOOORRRINNNNGs, but not much more than that. Last year and the year before, something that took 45 minutes and with MUCH more complaining now takes 10 minutes. Tonight he sat down with me and wrote five sentences by himself without a single complaint. Last year he never ever ever would have done that. He is so smart. Math clicks quickly in his brain and we all know that reading has always come so naturally for him. He told me the other day that science is a new interest!

I need to write more updates because I could go on and on. Working in Cannon Falls for this season doesn't allow me quite as much time to do that, but I need to write down more about daily life with these awesome boys. They are still so little and funny and sweet. They still enjoy being with me and holding my hand and snuggling with me and I love it. I soak it up every single day and enjoy every single moment.

Thanks for checking in and reading to the end. :) Have a great night!

Corn Maze 2015

Finally, corn maze photos! And an update of our week at the end of the post.

As always, the boys had so much fun at the corn maze this year. Elijah remembered that he was the driver last year, so the boys switched spots.

Playing on the train, even though Elijah is WAY too big for it. We let him get on anyway.

The corn pit! Sammy was more comfortable playing in the corn this year than ever before. Look at these two handsome boys!

I love getting into the corn with the boys and I always find kernels in our house for months after. In fact, I found a kernel from LAST year in July's laundry this year. :)

The hay bale maze is one of Elijah's favorite things, but Sammy just so-so likes it. He ran through once and was done.

Elijah, on the other hand, ran through the maze at least 5 times. He has always loved it, even as a really little guy.

Brothers posing with the giant hay fireman.

The parakeet house was a favorite again this year. Both boys seemed scared of the birds, but they came around. Sammy sure loves animals.

Elijah stared down this cow for a long time. "Wow, you are a really gigantic and funny-looking cow!" he said repeatedly. :)

After much coaxing, Sammy fed the...uhh, what are these animals? He thought they were going to nibble his fingers off.

I love these handsome boys!

Finding our way through the BIG maze!

I love this beautiful face!

Handsome boys..

This week has produced a TIRED Mama and a TIRED Elijah. We have given Elijah a little too much sugar (there's such a fine line), which has caused some very early morning potty issues. When he is awakened at 3:00-4:00am, he does not go back to sleep. When I am awakened at 3:00-4:00am, I do not go back to sleep. Today we totally cut out sugar and will do so for the next few days to get things back on track. Homework tonight was painful...more difficult than it's been so far this year. :( We are praying for a much better night of sleep tonight. My red, tired eyes are screaming for sleep!

Earlier in the week, Sammy's attitude was sour and he seemed distant. I have made an extra effort to give him one-on-one time and things were better today. Each night after Elijah goes to bed, we sit on the floor in our living room and play a few games of Mastermind. He is SO smart and is getting so good at this game. It is such a special time for us to spend together and I think he cherishes it, too. I love my Sammy! He is my precious, smart and wonderful boy!

That's all for now! More later. Thanks for checking in!

Minor sickies

This is how we know when Sammy isn't feeling well.



He's not tearing around the house!



Sam had a little bug for a few days last week. That, combined with getting some shiny new molars, had him feeling out of sorts. He has been sleeping A LOT. In the past week there have been a handful of days when he has slept from 6:00 pm until 8:00 am! Whoa! Elijah, take note!

On the weekend mornings when Sammy slept in, Elijah and I were able to spend some quality time together. Breakfast, tickle-time on the couch (his favorite), knock-knock joke sessions and reading books. Then, the second Sam got up, Elijah would break down and start whining about everything. So it clicked for Dan and me this week. It's Sam! A good chunk of this behavior we have been seeing from Elijah is stemming from having to share us with Sammy. Now that Dan's work schedule is slowing down, we will have more time for one-on-one Elijah and Sammy lovin'.

What else has been going on.. A friend of ours was seriously injured last weekend, but he is doing great, considering the trauma he endured. We are hoping and praying for good news with each passing day. I am shooting my first wedding on Friday! Aaahhhh! I'm nervous, but so incredibly excited about it! Dan is trying to skydive as much as possible as the season winds down. Elijah woke up with a bit of a cough this morning (boo). Sammy can now say "play" (comes out "bay"). We are loving this yummy fall weather!

I will end with a few of Elijah's favorite knock-knock jokes..

Knock-knock!
Who's there?
Al!
Al who?
Al give you a kiss!

Knock-knock!
Who's there?
Howie!
Howie who?
Howie gonna eat our ribs tonight? (and I proceed to "eat"/tickle his ribs..)

Knock-knock!
Who's there?
Doe!
Doe who?
Doe-n't show me your armpit! (and I proceed to tickle his armpit..)

Knock-knock!
Who's there?
Bee!
Bee who?
Bee careful or you'll get tickled! (I think you can guess what follows..)

Knock-knock!
Who's there?
Cargo!
Cargo who?
Cargo beep beep!

Overdue update

Sorry for posting an old photo. I haven't taken many kid photos lately due to the goopy snot that usually accumulates around their (well, mostly Elijah's) noses.

This week has gotten better with each new day. Elijah's cough is starting to loosen its grip on his lungs, which has made for better rest (for all of us) and much less sass (from guess who!).

Samson's napping is still very frustrating. I keep telling myself he will get there, but then we don't really see much progress and I wonder if we ever will?

I have noticed lately that Elijah is so super detailed when he talks about things. He will say:

"Elijah and Mommy reading books? Elijah and Mommy reading books upstairs? Elijah and Mommy reading books upstairs in loft? Elijah and Mommy reading books upstairs in loft in our home?"

Or:

"Elijah eating yogurt. Elijah eating blue yogurt. Elijah eating blue yogurt at table. Elijah eating blue yogurt at table in kitchen. Elijah eating blue yogurt at table in kitchen in our home."

He is thorough! And he is so, so funny.

He has been playing grocery store a lot (sound familiar, DAD?). He will push a stool (his cart) around the kitchen and pick out food. An apple from the counter, mac & cheese and peanut butter from the pantry, juice from the fridge. Then he will push his cart to the end of the counter (the check-out line) and he will put everything on the counter top (belt). He'll say, "Hewwo!" "Oh, HI!" and he will pretend to pay. Then he loads all of his groceries up in a paper bag and carries them to the living room (his car). Then he unloads the food in the kitchen, usually not in the same places he found everything in. Repeat twenty times.

Sammy, aside from his napping issues, is doing great. Oh, and aside from his recent VERY early morning wakings. He is such a chunk! And such a cute, happy babe. And still constantly very very hungry, hence the chunkiness.

Dan is nearing the end of skydiving season, which means we will be seeing more of him very soon. YAY!

And I am a crazy blogging fool these days. It's so much fun. I'm really enjoying the way everything is going right now. I can't imagine how much I will be enjoying life once Dan is home a little more!

Did I tell you what Elijah and Sam are going to be for Halloween? Their costumes aren't related, but they are sooo cute. I can't wait to get pics and share!

And last but not least, we did finally hear back from Dr. G and he wants to do Elijah's heart cath sometime early next year. Sometime between January and March. It's always good to get dates on the calendar so I can start mentally preparing.

Thanks for checking in! We hope you all are well and enjoying these last teeny little bits of nice weather.

We are alive

The froggy PJs are so cute. Every time he wears them, he looks closely at the frogs and says, "Ahh. ahhhhhhhhh," which is his sound for "ribbit."


He just loves to feel secure and surrounded and comfortable. We made him a "fort" out of his favorite blankie and his walker and he loved it.


Another security thing...he loves to crawl under the table and surround himself with chairs. I have never known anyone who has needed security more than Elijah does. I guess I can't blame him.

I think I need help. I started reading Twilight, as it is my book club's next book choice, and ever since then my life hasn't been the same. Ok, I'm partially kidding. But partially not. It is a four-book series, and I AM IN LOVE. I just started book two tonight and I have butterflies in my tummy thinking about what might happen next. WILL BELLA BECOME A VAMPIRE??

Aside from my freaky weirdness, our weekend has been good. Dan and I celebrated his birthday with many friends on Friday night. My husband is so loved. So many people came from all parts of the city to celebrate with him. It was a great night. Elijah was with Dan's mom through the night, so we felt like we didn't have a worry in the world! We have the most amazing, supportive friends and family.


I had a room reserved for us at the bowling alley we went to and when we arrived we noticed it was reserved for "Megan Ponta." That gave people many laughs.


These are some of our most awesome, favorite skydiving friends. We love you guys, and thank you so much for celebrating Dan's birthday with us!


This is my cutest cousin Ann Marie and me. Isn't she adorable?

Saturday we spent the day with Dan's parents and Grandma making Grandma's famous and excellent raviolis. It was an all-day affair, but totally worth the effort. Some day Dan and I would like to continue this yearly tradition with our own family. We ended up making 400+ raviolis, so we will enjoy these for the next few weeks.

Today I spent a lot of the day working. This upcoming week is going to be a rough one for me. Once it is done I will be the happiest woman alive! I'm not sure that I've ever been so stressed and pressed by a project at work in my 11+ years of being in the working world.

I have to share some cute Elijah things quick before I head to bed. He has been soooo funny lately. I wish I could get his whole life on tape, but it never works out that way. In the previous two weeks his gross motor development had really been blossoming. Now, it seems like his speech and other aspects are blossoming. Things never seem to blossom at the same time. Lately, he has conversations with his hands a lot. He will hold up a hand in front of his face and "talk" to it. It sounds like he is talking part Japanese and part German. Then his other hand will chime in, in a totally different language, maybe part Russian and part Chinese. His hands go back and forth in a heated conversation. He is so engaged when he does this. I wonder what in the world is going on in his little mind.


Mmmmmmmm, ice cream!

He says "BYYYYyyEE!" to everything. When we put the lid back onto his play-doh container or when we finish reading a book or when we put toys away or when we walk into another room......BYYYYEEEEEEee!!!!!


Sitting at Grandma's house, grinning the cheesy, beautiful grin.

Just today he started acting like he was afraid of Larry the Cucumber from Veggie Tales. WHAT?! He has loved Larry for his whole life! Now, whenever Larry talks (not sings), he reaches for Dan or me and wraps his arms around our necks as tight as he can. I hope he gets over this soon. Larry is his long-time friend!


Happy 30th, Dan!

There are so many more cute things to share, but I'm tired and I have a long week ahead so I must go to sleep. Thanks for checking in. We love and appreciate you all so much! Have a wonderful week. I now must go enter the vampire world before bed for a bit.

Absent

I apologize for my lack of blogging lately. Life is seeming pretty overwhelming for me right now. I feel like I don't have time for anything except for the absolute bare necessities. I have a huge project due at work next Friday (YIKES) that I have been frantically trying to get done, so that has taken up a lot of my time and energy. On top of that, it seems like almost every night is booked with something for the next few weeks. Dan's 30th birthday is this Friday so I have been trying to think of things that will help make his day special.

I'm tired. I want a mental break. It's a good thing I have made my nightly baths a priority because they have definitely helped to keep me sane.

Elijah is doing well. He spent the entire weekend resting up from his cath last week. One night in the hospital equals a SLEEP-DEPRIVED baby for one solid week, we have learned. He has been going to sleep at 5:30 every night since we got home! If I were smart I'd start going to bed at the same time.

We don't have much to report. I just wanted to get an update out so you all knew we are doing ok. I do have some cute pics to upload, and some cute things Elijah is doing to talk about but I'll have to save those for later in the week.

The five minutes it took to write this is all the time I have for a tiny lunch break today, so I must go! More later....

Home

Wanted to write quick to say that we're back home. Elijah is doing great, as usual. I will post more details (and pics) tonight. Right now I'm off to work and Dan and Elijah are hopefully going to get some rest. It was a sleepless night, as are all nights in the hospital.

Thanks for all the prayers! More later....

Cath Update

Elijah has been in surgery now for about 3 hours. We just got a call and up to this point they've just been taking pictures and figuring out everything that's going on in his little heart.
They found 2 areas that they will put coils in to close off the collaterals that aren't needed. There's also another artery that looks like it will need to be ballooned open.
We were told that the rest of the procedure could take awhile, please pray that everything goes smoothly and the Dr's are able to accomplish what needs to be done.

Since they are having to do so much we will be staying the night. The Dr wants to keep an eye on Elijah and make sure his body rebounds well from the surgery.

Thanks again for all your support and prayers.

Home at last!

We're soo sooso sosoo happy! We are finally home with Eli! :) We spent yesterday getting our house and baby stuff situated in between feedings and diaper changings. Today we are sleepy since we only got a few hours of sleep, but that is to be expected. I don't even care about the lack of sleep--I'm just so happy to have him here with us. I'm not nearly as terrified as I thought I'd be having him away from the hospital. His color looks good and he's eating like a champ, and those are indicators that he's doing well, considering everything.

Now we will just be taking it one doctor's visit at a time and hoping for the very best--and lots of healthy weight gain. He is such a good little baby. He is so calm and has such a pleasant demeanor. We are so blessed and our little peanut couldn't be any more perfect. Dan is such an amazing dad and it's so fun watching him with Elijah. You can tell that Eli already feels so safe in his daddy's arms.

We have a hungry man here, so I better get going. We have lots of pictures we'd like to share with you all and I plan on uploading them to our shutterfly account in the next couple days (link to this is on the right side of this blog). Thanks again for all of the support. We feel so blessed to have you all as our family and friends.

Love,
Megan, Dan & Elijah