Day 5-7 Disney 2012

On day 5 at Disney, we headed to Animal Kingdom. We went to get a fast pass for Kilimanjaro and then headed to Asia for Kali River Rapids. Zeke was so excited, which surprised me because he typically hates to be splashed. One person in tge boat always gets soaked head to toes and the others get very wet too so I was a little scared about his reaction. When we got to the top of the largest rapid, I realized the wettest person would be Zeke. As we hit the bottom, I waited for him to cry and scream as he calmly looked up at us and said "it's ok guys, it'll dry" which made me laugh. He is so full of character. On the safari, we saw lots of animals and Zeke enjoyed photographing every one of them....got to buy him a camera of his own. We did both walking treks and saw quite a few animals. Then we went to camp Minnie/Mickey to stand in line for the characters. Then we headed to Dinoland to ride Triceratops Spin, he hated this ride last time. We made a stop by the boneyard to play and Zeke got away from us because we didn't realize the playground went across the street over a bridge. When we found him he was playing in the sand digging for fossils without a care in the world, much better than my experience with being lost at Hollywood at 10 years old. After that, we headed to rainforest cafe to eat (a must for us at ak). Zeke got to sit by his friend "mr elephant" and he visited him throughout our meal. We got the volcano dessert and it was amazing. My chicken Parm was very good as well, but way too much food for me so I finished it for supper. At about 2:30, we left rainforest and headed to the motel. Dustin and zeke went swimming and I slept because I was feeling extremely tired and a little sick. We were going to head back to a park that night, but I was still feeling bad so we swam and played at the park. Zeke met a friend at supper named PJ, a very sweet 6 yr old that he loved playing with the rest of the night. On Thursday, we headed back to Magic Kingdom for the whole day!! We decided to drive because we were tired of standing up on the buses and we got there much quicker. We got there for extra magic hours and rode several rides before park opening: pooh, dumbo, small world, and Peter Pan. Then we headed to adventureland because all the non emh people were headed to fantasyland. We rode pirates, aladdin, tiki room, and jungle cruise in about an hour or so. Then we headed to tomorrowland for an early lunch, buzz and zurg, and people mover. Then we got a fast pass for Mickey and watched some shows on main street before actually meeting Minnie and Mickey at town hall. We stopped at the main street bakery for water and an ice cream sandwich!

We watched dream along with mickey at tge castle and Then we headed to find a spot in frontierland for the parade. It began to rain as soon as the parade started, but there was no budging Zeke. I enjoyed watching the parade with him in the rain, just knowing he wanted to watch it that much was enough for me. When it was over, we headed in the hall of presidents to cool off and Zeke fell asleep in the show. He slept right up until it wad time for dinner at the crystal palace with pooh and friends. He got really excited when we got there especially when tigger came to our table. He had his baby tigger with him so tigger played with him more, so sweet. After supper, we found a spot for the parade and sat and played star wars while we waited. It was well worth the wait to see the look on my boys face when he saw the parade and fireworks!! He loved it. We boarded the ferry with a happy but sleepy boy that was asleep before we got to our resort. We packed up and went to bed too. Friday morning we swam and loaded up the car before eating lunch. By noon, we were beach bound. When we checked into the Hilton Oceanwalk (priceline special-$70) we were given an awesome ocean view room. The view was beautiful. We spent the afternoon building sandcastles and jumping waves then had supper on the ocean at bubba gump's. We walked along the beach and shopped in some shops that evening. This morning (Saturday may 26) we ate at five guys and are now headed part of the way home!!!

Disney trip-May 2012-day 1-4

We began our trip on Friday, may 18, the last day of Zeke's first year of pre-k. We drove to Macon, GA and stayed the night in the La Quinta. We drove on in to Disney on Saturday, arriving at All Star Movies at around 3. We checked in, unpacked and headed to Epcot for dinner and fireworks. We ate at Garden Grill and visited with Pluto, Mickey, and chip and Dale! They were alot of fun and the food was excellent. The rides we rode were: Nemo, Donald Duck, Figment, Captain EO, Living with the Land. Zeke was really excited about all of them, but said he liked figment the best. We watched the fireworks show again, which I love, but he was less interested than the other times because of the noise. We got back to our room about 10 and went to sleep early bc we were still tired from the night before. On Sunday, we headed to Hollywood Studios for Star Wars weekend, boy was that a bad decision, it was busy and Zeke was low on sleep (which causes him to have more energy than ever :)) We got lots of signatures in the morning: Darth Vadet, Boba Fett, Jake, Handy, Pooh, and Sorcerer Mickey. Then we rode Toy Story Mania and headed home for a rest, which we all really needed!! After nap, we headed to TREX cafe for dinner and to Magic Kingdom for Late night magic hours (11-2). This was the best experience we have ever had.....we rode It's a small world, pirates, aladdin, haunted mansion, dumbo, tomorrowland speedway, buzz, Peter pan, snow white and pooh all in two hours!! It was sooo much fun not having to wait. On Monday, we woke up and headed late and headed to Epcot for a few hours. We rode Nemo again, ellens energy adventure, And Maelstrom. We had a private meet/greet with mickey, minnie, and goofy for being a chase card holder. I think Goofy might have remembered us because he was extra attentive, it was fun. We shared a really great frozen lemonade and then headed back to the hotel for a nap before Chef Mickey's. We loved Chef Mickey's, the look on Zeke's face was priceless as he carefully watched each one and got so excited when his turn was next. He was so excited that other people in the restaurant were getting excited for him, it was soooo sweet and really brought tears to my eyes watching him. Afterwards, we decided to go to fantasmic, which we had never done. Zeke loved it and it was one of tge best shows I've ever seen. When that was over we stayed for extra magic hours and Zeke went to a dance party with Mickey, Minnie, Einsteins, Jake and handy!! He had so much fun, but kept trying to hug on them while they shook their booties. Then we rode star tours and Zeke kept saying "mom that wasn't even a little scary, I can ride anything" lol. We got in late, but were sure we'd be up early, however, I couldn't even roll zeke out of bed until 9, so we went bank to magic kingdom. We rode Pirates again because zeke loves it most and then got pics with woody and Jesse!! After that, we watched jack's pirate tutorial and Zeke loved it, but was too shy to go on stage. After the show, a lady asked came up and said to me "captain jack would like to meet your son if you don't think he will be afraid?" I said oh no he would love it, even though I wasn't sure. They took us behind the stage and we had a private session with him and the other pirate. Zeke was shy of course but was super excited when it was over and talked about it all day. Then we had lunch at Pecos Bills and headed off to Tomorrowland to meet Buzz. He wasn't there so we rode tge people mover and the move it shake it parade. We left magic kingdom at 12:45 to ride the monorail to epcot and then a bus to Hollywood. However, we didn't arrive until 2:30 and had to go from epcot to another hotel and back to Hollywood bc they don't run buses between parks very often. While at all star music, we met a mousekeeping staff member that had a granddaughter with an arm like Zeke's and we were able to share our boy with him. He was an older gentleman from a large family that was close knit and they were fearful of several things, I tried to ease his mind and let him know there's nothing she won't be able to do. I love God's nuggets of goodness that are hidden in 2 hr of annoying bus transfers to get where we are going. He knows right where/when we are needed and will use us if we allow him. When we got to Hollywood we watched the parade, muppets, Indiana jones, and ate at Hollywood and vine. We came back to the hotel to swim and play at around 6. Zeke loves the kiddy pool and sprinklers, suprisingly. He's not into having water in his face.

September and October 2011

For labor day, we went to the lake. It was the last weekend we could go for a while so we really enjoyed it! On Saturday, just before the game we were getting ready to go to the park. Zeke is all about dressing himself these days, he picked out some 12 month Mickey swim shorts and a t-shirt. They were really tight so he could barely move in them. He began calling them his heavy pants, apparently that's how he thought they felt. It was the highlight of the weekend to say the least.

The next weekend we were really lazy. On Sunday, September 11 we all woke up to watch the footage on tv. It was crazy to think back 10 years and remember the awful tragedy. On September 16, zeke had his dr appt for his 3 year check-up. He had a sinus infection and got amoxcillan. By night, he was running fever. We had a fun day of pizza hut and the mall playground before he got sick though. He had to go to caden's party feeling bad, but he enjoyed celebrating with Caden. On Sunday, he was worse so he stayed home from church! On Thursday, he stayed the night with papaw and meme so Dustin and I could go to see third day. That concert was amazing!! September 23-25 we made one last trip to the lake, it was too cool for getting in the water though. It was a relaxing weekend. The next week consisted of getting ready for mod march on Saturday oct 1st. On sept 30, we went to eat at the cafe with meme nan and then headed to abbi's dance party. Zeke had lots of fun and now swears he is having a dance party when he is four!! The walk went well and jcsd raised around $4000 for mod. On Tuesday, I had my first nb meeting at vv so zeke tagged along and we went to craighead to play before I went to my meeting. That was such a fun day, zeke said it was the "big park" and he wasn't ready to leave! The weekend of oct 7-9 was cynthia's bday so we had a big party complete with a pony, hayride, marshmallow roast and 3 worn out grandbabies as the night came to a close :) it really was alot of fun for all of us!! On October 13, zeke had an appt with dr Sawyer. He was doing so well, he said we could become prn or come as we needed to. He is still shocked at how far zeke has come! We went to the zoo and had a picnic afterwards, a very fun afternoon. On Saturday, zeke stayed with Rachel and bryan and Abbi so Dustin and I could go get a new car, eat, and see courageous. Oct 21-23, we had a fun weekend of playing at the park, eating with family at the cafe, and visiting at rachel's house. On the 27th, zeke and I played in the mall before my nb mtg at vv. Then that weekend he stayed with meme nan so we could go out with Rachel and Bryan. We ate longhorn and then just came home to visit, fun night! Oct 31 was Halloween, we ate chili and trick or treated with Clancy. Zeke was jack sparrow and he was super cute-hair or no hair lol. Nov 4-6, we went to who dats on Friday for trav's bday, went to Jonesboro to meet Braylon on Saturday and stayed home sick on Sunday. Today, we went to the dr and he has strep. He has been feeling bad this time, it's so sad when he is sick!!! Praying for zeke to feel better!!

Week 2 & 3 and the weekend in between

Our little family has been too busy for words, not sure how I am supposed to do my national boards this year!! Zeke is still loving preschool. They have been working on red, blue, circle, and square. Next week they will add lots of stuff to their day. They will read books and talk about how they are all unique and draw a picture of their favorite thing at school. They will be learning to count and work on yellow and triangle. I told Dustin the newsletter said we should work on these daily. He looked at zeke and said what color is your shirt, his reply was "R-E-D red" then what color are the letters on your shirt? Blue. He then told me to draw the center of the flower because it was a circle :) I think we got this!! He learned his abc's within the first two-three days of pre-k and we have never worked on that!! I think this has been a success so far. Last weekend, we were lazy. We went to see penny in the hospital on Saturday and out to eat with the crew (Rachel, Bryan, Abbi, Robby, Angie (&braylon)) at lazzari's! Sunday was church, lunch at church, bday party, and more church. Last week proved to be just as busy--Monday- school & workshop, Tuesday-chiropractor & supper at dad's, Wednesday-dr & hospital, Thursday-haircuts & ma's bday supper. Whew that made me tired!!! Now it's time for some much needed relaxing for labor day weekend!!

First weekend of 2011-2012 school year

To relax after a long week at school, we headed to the lake. We went to see Poppy and Gramps on the way and had supper at Fred's. Zeke enjoyed his chicken, sweet tea, taters, and hushpuppies. He enjoys spending time with Poppy!! When we left, he asked if we were going to poppys house. On Saturday, Dustin had lots of yard work to do before we could ride the boat and jet ski. We got out about 1230 and didn't come in until 6. It was a beautiful day that we spent swimming and riding the jet ski. On Sunday, we tubed and swam before getting groceries in batesville. It was a simple, but great weekend!

Preschool days 3-5

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were good days at pre-school! Zeke really loves going and doesn't always want to go home. He got to play basketball in the gym on the rainy days and he really enjoyed it. One of my favorite moments was on Wednesday when it was raining. As we walked into school, he said momma you smell that? Rain smells so good! It reminded me that even on my busiest days, we need to stop and smell the rain. Kids remind us to not take the little things for granted!! Thursday afternoon we had to get his picture made for the paper, he did not enjoy that. The poor child hates to have his picture made!! All in all, this week was great!!

Pre-school day 2

This day started out funny. I went in to talk to ms. Allison about stealing the toy and she let me know it was his prize for being such a good helper. I had some apologizing to do!! He was eating breakfast when I left. He loves chocolate milk, I knew this but he gets lots at pre-school so he loves that!! He enjoys playing with all of the kids according to his teachers. He told me after school that he held hands with Tessa on the playground because she was his best friend but then he had to assure me I was still his best friend too :) I love him so much!!! After school, we cooked supper for poppy and Matt and enjoyed visiting for a while. Day 2=success

First day of preschool

This morning I got up and we got ready!! Zeke was so excited and was ready to play when he got to school!! I left and neither of us shed a tear!! When I got back, he was ready to see me and tell me stories. He was telling me who all didn't do what they were supposed to and what Ms. Allison or ms terri said. He was told to keep his bathroom talk in the bathroom, which didn't surprise me, we tell him that too :) He took a truck and put it in his bag, even zipped it up! We had a LONG talk about stealing and how Jesus doesn't like it. He says he will tell ms Allison he is sorry, he didn't know it was wrong to take toys home. He is such a good boy!! He has learned the word "exactly" and is using it often. He played with Tessa today, he really loves her!

We spent his birthday money because he was a big boy today and then came home to play! He had a great first day!!!

Last weekend of summer

On Friday, we were lazy and played in Zeke's room or watched movies all day!! He wasn't feeling back to normal so of course it was all about him!! He loves little einsteins right now so we watch it a lot. He took a really long nap, but I'm sure he needed it. When he woke up, we left for the lake. We stopped to buy a jet ski from Gin and Jack in Newport and ate supper. When we got to the lake, it was too late to ride. Saturday, we headed out early for a day on the pontoon and jet ski. We stayed out until 4 and zeke loved riding the jet ski after being talked into it. It has to be his idea ya know :) He skipped a nap and was out by 8, so we watched soul surfer!! Sunday morning we went to church and then went out on the jet ski before coming home for night church. It has been a fun but short weekend, goodbye summer vacation, hello real world!!!!!

Last week of summer

This last week of summer vacation is really flying by. They have all quickly passed, but this one has gone by extremely fast. On Sunday, we went to church twice, it's been awhile since we have made both services. Sunday afternoon was filled with birthday dinner at the cafe for Justin and Zeke and visiting Rachel! Then after night services we had an ice cream social to raise money to go to magic springs! On Monday, zeke and I spent time working in my classroom, took Ma to catch a ride to her class, got a few groceries, and went to church again. On Tuesday, I had a dictir's appointment. Afterwards, we met Auntie and Emma to shop, eat at Dixie cafe, and see the smurfs. We had a really good time, but by the time we got home the Zekester was running 101 fever. On Wednesday, we just stayed home, played, and rested in hopes he would feel better. On Wednesday night, I realized he had a couple sores in his mouth. By thursday morning when the doctor looked at it, he had a bunch of sores on his tongue, throat, and even his lip. She said he has coxsackies virus and that time would heal. She told us to use mylanta to coat the sores and Tylenol for pain. He is one tough cookie though, not much complaining. I'm not really all that surprised though ;) I think tomorrow will be a day if rest and relaxation for my last day off!!!

Orange beach--Day 6&7

Day 6 was dolphin cruise time. We headed out at 9 and were supposed to get to go out in the gulf but tropical storm don had other plans!! The waves were too big for us to go out there and the tropical storms brought big rains are way all day. Luckily we had opted for the indoor/outdoor ride and we stayed dry while also seeing dolphins. It was lots of fun and zeke thinks dolphins are super cool now.

After the dolphin cruise we headed to ribs and reds to eat, they had really good reds and the boys have tried them at lots if places this week! Zeke got to have his usual, chicken strips and French fries! When we left it was pouring so we got a little wet. After eating we headed back to the condo, but it was still raining away so zeke and i had to spend the afternoon napping, reading books, and cuddling (it was long due). At 5, the sun poked through and we headed to the beach for some sandcastle building. The water came up day 6 in the morning so high all our beach stuff was buried under sand and water so we moved it way up the beach to play. After sandcastle building, we hit the pool and hot pool.

When we woke up on day 7, the sun was shining bright, hasn't done that since day 4!! We were excited and headed to the beach at 10. We stayed out there until about 2 and then headed to the original oyster house to eat. It was fantastic, the guys rated it 1 or 2 in their eats for the week. They actually rated them in this order......gulf shores steamer, original oyster house, flippers, ribs and reds, Lulu's, tacky jack's,and lambert's! I thinks Lulu's and lambert's were the best though because I'm not a seafood fan! After leaving there we headed to the track to let zeke play at kids country and in the arcade. He had a blast riding airplanes, trains, and the spinning animal ride.

I got a really bad headache at some point and by the time we made a few more stops, it was really bad so I headed to lay down while everyone packed and cleaned (darn, hate that). When I got up, we headed to walk the beach one last time and play in the pools. Zeke has a had a blast this week and everyone has relaxed a little. It's been successful despite rain and crankiness of everyone!!!

Day 5 orange beach

This morning we woke up to a storm and boy were we "crabby". We were lazy, fed some sea gulls, colored, read books, etc until about 11 when the sun came out. It still didn't look great so we stayed close and headed to the pool for a few hours. Zeke is really living "the hot pool". About 2, we headed to eat at the gulf shores steamer and boy was it yummy! Afterwards we souvenir shopped some more, big fun for me I live to shop in places like that!! Zeke got him a key chain so he could "unlock the condo" lol. Once we got back to the condo, we headed to the beach for a few hours of sand and sun. Zeke was so excited when he actually got a sandbucket turned over and the sandcastle stayed, such accomplishment for him. It us a gorgeous afternoon to end what started a stormy, crabby day :)

Orange beach day 4-afternoon

Well a nap never happened but plenty of pool time and sandcastles did! We buried uncle Travis in the sand!! That was alot of fun. Then we headed out earlier for lunch/supper at tacky jack's. It was pretty good, not as good as the last two nights though. After our meal we went souvenir shopping. Then we went to ride go carts and play mini golf, zeke loved it (his first time for both). Then since a storm was on it's way we got stuff for a pizza/cupcake party at the condo tonight! Zeke is singing happy birthday to himself and we are all enjoying good snacks.

Day 4-- morning

It's a cloudy day here in orange beach, rained a little this morning. We are out on the beach and the guys have been snorkeling until Dustin saw a huge jellyfish. They have been boogie boarding all morning while zeke is playing in the sand. I am reading, playing in the sand, and playing words. Mom reads constantly, not much water time for her!! It's been a good morning, my boy already wants to go in the room for a nap!

Orange beach mobile uploads day 1-3

Orange beach--Days 1-3 2011

We arrived in orange beach on Saturday morning around 7 am after leaving at 11 the night before. It was a long night as you can imagine, but Zeke slept well! When we got here, they said our room would not be ready until at least 3pm. What are 5 sleep deprived people to do when told they can't sleep for 8 more hours?? SHOP!! We hit the outlet mall for a while, ate at lambert's, went to the state park beach, and headed to walmart! We actually got to check in at 2:30 and were unloaded by 3:30. We rested a while and then headed down to the beach to play. Zeke loved it at the state park, but now seemed to hate it. He quickly warmed up though. We had a good time that afternoon and evening.

Sunday, zeke and I slept in until about 9, while Dustin and Travis got up at 5 to watch dolphins from our balcony. This would be our first full day on the beach so we headed down early after breakfast. Zeke was loving it. We built big sandcastles, jumped waves, rode his boat, and floated. At about 2, we went in and took showers to head out to flippers to eat. It is kind of out of the way, but the boys thought it was great. That evening we went looking for seashells on the beach and that night we went crabbing (without nets, we forgot to get then today). We got lots of shells and one small crab, but zeke was so excited!!! He was so tired once we got back to the room that he went to sleep sitting up!

On Monday, we slept til about 9 again and then hit the beach about 10. Zeke was clingy and cranky all morning and at 11:30 he crawled up in my lap and fell asleep. He slept until 2, we went in shortly thereafter to swim (his choice). We got around slowly and headed out to Lulu's at about 3:30. No wait in lines this time of day. Lulu's was cool, outdoor atmosphere with great food, but someone was trying to spoil my fun. My order came wrong (I of course didn't send it back to be spit on lol), the waiter couldn't seem to cone back to our table, and zeke had to potty while everyone else was eating. They were great though and let me finish eating! We left there and went to walmart where Dustin was sniffing conditioners and squished my new shirt with it haha! So what better day to take the infamous white shirt/khaki shorts pics?? We set out in our attire about 6:30. When I informed the boys we would be spending an hour doing this, Dustin was appalled, Travis was kind if excited because being in this attire was a dream come true for him! When you see his pictures you will understand why, lol. This night we went crabbing again, caught a few but mostly fish with our nets. The boys had so much fun, I did too but keeping up with a two year old using a small cars flashlight is less than ideal!! We needed a high-powered flashlight!!

This morning I have been up since 7 and it's now 8:30, I've been out on the balcony listening to the waves and watching for dolphins. No one has noticed I'm missing yet......we shall see if they do :)

Zeke is two

Two years ago today, I gave birth to the most awesome piece of heaven I had ever seen!  On that day, I wrote this:

Zeke's Birth Day
At 2 am on Monday morning, I started contracting, not a suprise. The doctor checked me at 3 am and I was dilated to a 2. He said that I had to go to labor and delivery so I am thinking so what. Then he says you can have an epidural whenever you get ready since you already are feeling the contractions, so I decided maybe they weren't kidding this time. By 5, I had my epidural. By 6, I had some spots that weren't numb and were called hot spots, which don't get numb. By 7, i was dilated to 4 and by 8 I was dilated to 10 and ready to start labor. At 8:39, Zeke came out screaming and boy could he get loud. They put him over in the bed and started checking him out. They called Dustin over to talk to him. They told him that he was breathing on his own and was looking good, but that they had a few ortho issues. His left side was very constricted in utero and his left arm is missing from the elbow down. His left leg also appears to be turned outward, but they aren't sure if it is because his hip is out of place or if it is just his foot. They take him out of the room to be admitted to the NICU. The nurse brought him over for me to look at and told me he was 4 pounds 1 oz and 17 inches long. Once he was gone, Dustin and I got some much needed time alone. We talked about how glad we were he came out screaming and he explained to me what the doc had told him. We both thanked God for our little blessing and then we decided that we should tell the family before we went upstairs to see our little man. We told our parents and they informed the other visitors we have that our boy had a couple of problems. When we got to the NICU we were overjoyed to see he still was breathing 100% on his own. He was happy and healthy from what they could tell. I spent the next few hours in my room with family while Dustin took each one in and out of the NICU to see him. Dustin was completely exhausted so we decided to go in together and visit with Zeke alone. It was wonderful to get to be together as a family, we both even got to hold him. We came back to the room and after the family left we crashed. I woke up several times to call the NICU and each time we heard good things. He started eating 6cc's of formula every 4 hours last night at 8 pm and has been doing that ever since. We are so excited about that too.
 
We saw several doctors in the NICU today. The first was a ortho pediatrician. He explained the xrays to us. The left arm has the ulna, but not the radius bone and he has mobility so that is a really good sign. His legs are not dislocated, they will ultrasound his hip joints in 6 weeks to determine if they are growing incorrectly or if it is just his feet that are. If it is his feet, he will be put in a series of braces from 2 months of age to 10 months of age to straighten them out. If it is the hip, he will wear a brace for that too, didn't say how long on that. Then we saw a geneticist who told us that he was going to do ultrasounds on the abdomen and brain, and get a cardiologist to do an ECHO and compile that with our history to determine if the problem is genetic but he believes it is not from initial review. He believes that since the arm forms before 21 weeks that it is not due to the PPROM, but instead it is from a syndrome called amniotic band syndrome. He said the blood flow was restricted to the arm and that is probably why it didn't continue to develop. He said we were lucky because the blood flow could just have easily been restricted to the head or legs or any other body part. He said our boy was lucky, but I say he is just meant to be! The cardiologist did an ultrasound of his heart and had all normal findings. They have an IV in his head so they haven't done the brain ultrasound yet. They hope he will be able to eat enough not to need the iv soon. Tonight he is having trouble digesting his food. His tummy can't digest all the food they are giving him because he isn't stooling quite enough. So he throws up at every feed. They decided they needed an accurate measure of intake/outake so they put in a feeding tube, this will also keep him from aspirating if he throws up. Now that he has seen all his doctors he is in a closed bed to keep him warm and quiet, this is a good thing, the open bed is for babies that are at high risk for problems.
 
Today was an amazing day, a day of celebration of life. I think sometimes we take for granted how fragile life really is, thankfully I no longer do that! I know that God gives us one day at a time and it is all about what we do with that one day. I remember so well 2 am August 11, 2008. It was just another day God had kept me pregnant, another day for Zeke to grow. I went into labor and thought it would be like the many other trips to L&D. At 3 am, which seemed like forever waiting on him to get there, the dr. informed me otherwise, this was it! When we got to L&D, we called our parents to tell them the news. It seemed like forever before anyone got there! By 7, I remember that I had seen Mom, Dad, Cyn, Gran, and Lisa, and they were shortly whisked away so Dustin and I could bring our boy into the world all on our own. We wanted to be there alone to bear any good or bad news together before anyone else was in there, just another way God protected us and brought us closer together. I had a fairly quick labor, around 40 minutes of pushing. When I heard him cry, I knew everything was going to be okay. Shortly after that, I was trying to get Dustin to go over to him and I could tell something was wrong by the look on his face. I couldn't hear the doctors talking, but he could. He heard them say he was missing his arm, his hip was out of place, he had no knee caps, and that it looked syndromatic. They were all wrong, except for the obvious, he was missing an arm. They brought my boy over to me wrapped up, I thought I was going to get to hold him but no such luck. I got to look and then they whisked him away, better than some mommys get. He was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen and I was crying my eyes out. After they left, Dustin shared with me Zeke's condition (or what the docs thought anyways). It was very hard for him to have to tell all of that to me. We just held each other and prayed, so thankful that everything appeared to be okay for that moment. A NICU nurse came in to talk to us to tell us what she knew and give us pictures, I treasure those to this day! When they finally decided I was able to go see him, we shared the news with our parents and friends. Our first trip to the NICU was hard but amazing. Our little boy was so sweet laying in his open bed sleeping away. You could tell by looking at him that he was a fighter and that he would not give up easily. He had a beautiful head of dark brown hair with an IV in it, a sweet face that called out to kiss, a tiny hand that he always kept near his face, little heart patches and wires, a preemie swaddler diaper that was folded down it was so big, two tiny feet that were all snuggled up in a snuggly with hearts on it and he layed on a blanket with footprints. The blanket (though standard in most hospitals) reminds me of the footprint stuff you see, through this time I carried you, and I believe God did just that. I did not get to hold my baby boy or feed him, but I just stared at him and got to touch him with my index finger and I already loved him so so much. It is so amazing how much you can love someone. Lots of family and friends came that day and night, but after a while he had had too much company and was overstimulated so we had to let him rest and go back later. When we went back that night, he was eating a little but we still didn't get to hold him. The following day, I got to hold him, Dustin was so afraid he would pull his IV out that he just wanted me to hold him. When she put that baby in my arms, the whole world felt right! Nothing is better than that to this day! He got better day by day and I watched him grow long before I could bring him home.


Things he survived/overcame:

1.Not digesting enough to keep food down

2.Jaundice-double light phototherapy

3.Feeding Tube

4.Bad Diaper rash

5.First Bath

6.Circumcision

7.Lots of Mom's photo shoots

8.6 Synagis shots

9.x rays every 3 months

10.upper respitory infection

11.sitting up

12.rolling over

13.crawling

14.cruising

15.walking 10-12 steps at a time

16.a crazy winter ice storm

17.no electricity for 8 days

18.his first bike ride ( I was the driver)

19.ear infection

20.two top teeth and two bottom teeth

21.getting fitted for foot braces

His favorite toy: Razorback bat

His favorite nontoy: Cell Phone

Favorite Food: cool whip? (he got the most excited over it), spaghetti

Favorite drink: ours

Favorite adult: Momma and Daddy

Favorite vacation: Branson (not a fan of the lake)

Favorite place: outside

Favorite activity: Bike or stroller(especially in the mall)

Favorite restaurant: (Colton's and Dixie)

Favorite song when he goes to sleep: Jesus Lover of my soul

Favorite music to dance to: Third Day Revelation CD

Favorite music in the car: Veggie Tales Sunday Morning Songs

Favorite place/way to sleep: with Momma and Daddy on his belly

Favorite nap place: swing

Favorite pet: Chance (only pet, but he sure loves that dog)



Two years have passed and Zeke has really changed. He went from 4 pounds 1 oz to 21 pounds 2 oz and then to 28 pounds. He is walking well and running now. When he wakes up in the morning he either wants juice or mouse (mickey mouse that is). When he gets sleepy, he wants me to rock him and cuddle him. In the car, he likes to watch cars, listen to klove or his barney cd and talk to momma and daddy. He loves to run and play all the time.  He loves his cars and his basketball goal. He loves to go to the mall as long as he can "wawk" (walk). He loves the play area in the mall and riding the golf cart and bike. He loves to shoot basketball and does so quite well for his age. He is a happy camper when I leave him each day, which makes my life easy!! He loves to play with and laugh at Chance. I don't know why a dog is funny. He loves Cheerios anytime of day. He likes strawberry banana v8, milk, and tea. He doesn't eat well at all these days, he is usually way too busy for that. He now loves to wear shoes, especially his cars shoes abbi got him for his bday.  He can put them on all by himself.   His favorite thing to do on a sunday afternoon is nap in the chair with momma (oh wait is that his fav or mine.........good thing we both LOVE it). He is really good in church for one hour, if it lasts longer than that he is ready to go. He also loves to play in the nursery and knows exactly where it is, to the point that he sometimes gets in trouble. This child truly enjoys life.  He wakes up in the morning ready to play and he doesn't care who he is playing with as long as it is all about him.  He loves to be outside playing on his swingset, riding the bike or wagon, or just jumping in the grass.  Digging in the dirt and riding his tractor are favorites too.  He is saying all kinds of words, but they aren't all clear.  We took him last week to have a speech eval and they said that he qualified so we hope to get that started sometime soon so we will not be so frustrated when we can't understand him. 
His favorite toy: Balls and Cars
His favorite nontoy: sticks and rocks

Favorite Food: cool whip? still loves spaghetti (sketti), pizza (peaz), peanut butter, carrots (cots), oranges, strawberries (job-jobs), Bananas (nana), and chicken nuggets (chick)
Favorite drink: tea, milk, and strawberry banana v8

Favorite adult: Momma and Daddy, but he really loves his grandparents and Chel too.
Favorite vacation: loves the lake, but his fav this year was DISNEY WORLD

Favorite place: outside or visiting someone's house and going to church
Favorite activity: Playing Ball, riding the wagon, golf cart or bike, or just hanging out outside
Favorite restaurant: he doesn't really like to eat much less eat out where he has to be still, but Front Page if I had to say
Favorite song when he goes to sleep: Jesus Lover of my soul, Bye Bye Baby or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Favorite music to dance to: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Cars Music from the shows

Favorite music in the car: Barney CD or Klove
Favorite place/way to sleep: with Momma and Daddy on his belly

Favorite nap place: in the recliner with his "cah-er" or cover and "low" or pillow
Favorite pet: Chance (only pet, but he sure loves that dog)

Things he says:

1. Momma and Daddy
2. Ma-Grandma
3. Meme's (Mom, Gran, and Cyn)
4. Papaw (he says correctly)
5. Papaw Tommy (he also say this correctly with alot of annunciating)
6. Nana and Poppy (which he says correctly)
7. Tra-is (Travis)
8. The girls
9. Abbi and Chel
10. Aney-Auntie
11. Jules
12. tea
13. mik (milk)
14. juice
15. hep (help)
16. bah (bath)
17. moon
18. mouse
19. queen (mcqueen)
20. doc
21. chick
22. mack
23. cop
24. sally
25. jj (dj)
26. bawl (ball)
27. King
28. light on
29. light off
30. i need help
31. i want a bath
32. i want cover
33. i want juice
34. get this car out
35. chose (cheerios)
36. reen (green)
37. re (red)
38. boo (blue)
39. you cared me ( you scared me)
40. I carey (I scary)
41. momma sit down here
42. i eat
43. gol car (golf cart)
44. trac-or (tractor)
45. bike
46. wa-on (wagon)
47. go in car
48. ruck (truck)
49. snacks
50. whoo pig
51. go to church (very anunciated on church)
52. bye bye ______ to whoever
53. please
54. tank u
55. cuse me (excuse me, he even excused me when I burped the other day)
56. ok momma or ok dada
57. meh-cine (medicine)
58. book
59. take this off
60. I want a hug
61. kiss me
62. slide
63. swing
64. oh man i missed
65. i miss
66. yay dada or yay momma
67. yay my dada or yay my momma
68. i col (cold)
69. ha for (hot)
70. i poot
71. i anna shirt ( I want a shirt)
72. i coming
73. zeke's coming
74. I'm Zeke
75. Tay (Caden)
76. I pepe
77. Dukes (put up your dukes)

Potty Training~Week 1

We have tried to potty train a couple of different weeks (one in April, one in June) and you just weren't ready.  After my workshop on the 23rd you kept telling me you needed to pee-pee.  I began to take you about once an hour from Friday on and you were dry most of the time for the next several days.  There were a couple of accidents but not many.  The next Thursday, you had like 5 accidents and didn't really want to pee-pee on the potty at all, so I thought oh my here we go again.  Thursday night you started telling me when you needed to go and it is now Monday and you haven't had any accidents (wet or dirty)  Go Zeke.  This is a bittersweet moment for me, you are growing up which is totally a good thing, but it is happening so quickly which is kind of sad!  I love you little man and I am excited to keep watching you grow and learn!

Sweet Summer Time

This summer has been great.  We usually spend an hour or so in bed watching buzz, cars, or Bar-ne each day.  You love to stay at home and play or be on the go, you aren't that picky about what we are doing.  We have spent most of the summer side by side, which I love, I know you won't always want to spend time with me like this so I am loving it.  You have learned so many new things this summer, but some of our favorite activities to do together have been puzzles, coloring, playing basketball, or watching movies.  We have been at the lake every weekend since Disney and you really love to swim no matter where we are.  Here is what we have been doing all summer:

June 13 and 14--we were at the pool with Rachel, Abbi, Cheryl, Dawson, Lacy, and Shawna
June 17-Jonesboro for dermatologist appt
June 18-I had an EGD, you stayed with your Meme
June 18-20 Lake
June 21-Toy Story 3
June 23--more pool time
June 24--visit Granny Fannie and eat lunch with Dad and Cyn
June 25-27 at the lake with Robby and Angie
June 28--more pool time
June 29--eye dr appt and shopping in jb
June 30--Eat with Dad and visit Granny Fannie
July 1--Took you to the Dr. with a 104 fever-it's viral
July 2-5 Lake with Mom
July 6--I had an MRI, you stayed with Meme
July 8-Ate lunch with Granny Fannie
July 9-11 Lake
July 12-JB with Mom and Z birthday shopping
July 14-Waterpark
July 15-March of Dimes Planning mtg and visit granny fannie
July 16-18 Lake
July 19-23 I had an AP workshop so you were at Meme's or at home with Grandma
July 23-25 Lake (just us)
July 26 Movie/Rainy Day
July 27 eye dr appt and more birthday shopping, visit Meme, visit Rachel and Abbi
July 28 School
July 29 School, lemonade stand
July 30-Aug 1 Lake (just us)
Aug 2 Jb with Mom

It has been one great summer watching yo learn new things and spending time with you!  You are such a great kid and I truly enjoy watching every new little thing you do!

Disney Vacation 2010

Friday, June 4th

On Friday, we started our 14 hour drive about 8 am.  Daddy had to deliver some packages in Memphis, so we just went with him.  We got it all done and left Memphis by about noon.  You slelpt and watched Toy Story a lot of the day, but when you were awake you were very content to sit in your seat and watch your movie.  We got out of the car in Lake City, FL around midnight after 16 hours in the car.  We stayed at a Red Roof Inn.

Saturday, June 5th

On Saturday, we got up and left Lake City and drove on into Orlando.  It took us about 3 hours to get there.  We arrived at our condo early, but we were able to check in.  It was very nice-2 bedroom and 2 bath with a full kitchen.  We went to Target and bought some groceries and then we were off to Disney Day 1.  We decided to go to Epcot, thinking it would be our least favorite.  We got there about 6:30 pm, it was so exciting to come back to a childhood favorite vacation spot with you.  We rode the Seas with Nemo and Friends first.  We rode in clam shells and looked for Nemo, you really enjoyed this ride (we ended up riding it a dozen times over several days).  Then Future World was closing so we headed on over to World Showcase and rode the three cabeleros boat ride.  You loved this one too, this is when we really started getting excited seeing you so happy.  The next ride was the Maelstrom in Norway.  It had an unexpected dip, but you were a trooper and you ended up really liking the drop it made.  No tears from our big boy!  After that, we got a place to watch Illuminations, a fire, lights and water show to end the day at Epcot.  You loved watching it and kept saying Whoa the whole time, it was so much fun seeing you so happy!  A great first day at Disney!

Sunday, June 6th

We went to MGM Hollywood Studios on the second day of Disney.  We were trying to avoid the early park hour parks in hopes we would be at the one with the least amount of people.  This day was terribly hot and humid.  When we arrived at the park, we rushed in for a fastpass to ToyStory Mania.  We knew this would be a hit in your eyes because you were a huge Buzz fan.  While waiting to go back to Toy Story, we took the backlot tour.  It was great, but very hot and we were getting worn down quickly.  You liked this ride, but you were not as excited as some other rides.  After that, we took off to see the first showing of the american idol experience.  You loved this attraction, smiling and clapping for each contestant.  There was a lady from Arkansas on stage, but she didn't win.  Then we went back to see Woody and Buzz before the ride.  You were in awe when you saw them.  You couldn't believe they were there.  You wanted Daddy to hold you, but you gave them your autograph book and got your picture made with them.  You really liked Toy Story Midway Mania, you helped Daddy win points.  I didn't score very many, I didn't know the 3D glasses were necessary and that that is why everything was blurry, ha!  By the time we got out of here, it was just so hot and we had to head back to the condo for a while.  We came back in the evening and checked out the animation.  Then we met Lightning and Mater, which you thought were totally amazing.  You didn't want to leave them at all!  Once again, it just got so hot we headed back to the condo and hit the pool.  They had a 1 foot kiddy pool and you loved splashing around in it. 

Monday, June 7th

On Monday, we headed back out to Epcot, once again to avoid crowds at Magic Kingdom.  Our first ride this time was Living off the Land, which was one of my favorite rides.  It was a boat tour of how agriculture has evolved followed by a greenhouse that was AMAZING.  You liked it ok, but it wasn't real entertaining for you.  We got a fastpass for Soarin and rode a few more rides before we headed back to the condo.  When we came back for the afternoon, we toured the countries and rode the boat rides again.  Daddy did Soarin, which was his favorite ride.

Tuesday, June 8th and Wednesday, June 9th

On Tuesday, we finally laid eyes on the Magic Kingdom.  I had forgotten that you had to ride a boat or monorail into Magic Kingdom.  We got there 30 minutes prior to the gates opening and waited in a line to get on the monorail.  We got on the monorail easily, but we still had long lines when we got to the island.  We headed straight for the Dumbo, there are no fast passes here so the wait was about 20 minutes, not bad for this ride.  We all loved it, nothing less than expected.  Then we went to ride It's a small world, which was always my childhood favorite.  It didn't disappoint, still my favorite and one of yours too.  After that, we headed for the Jungle Cruise.  It was fun, but not what we had expected.  The next ride was the Pirates of the Caribbean.  We all loved this ride, the wait was nice and cool and it was a boat ride with a slight thrill for you.  We went to the condo and came back the next day in time to watch the afternoon parade, which we really really loved.  You were not a fan of the characters after you saw the Genie from Aladdin who scared you.  We rode Peter Pan, which stopped while we were on it.  Then we rode Snow White, Smaill World, and pooh.  We had dinner at the Starlight Cafe, which had an ape singing that entertained you.  The food was good but expensive.  We watched the country bear jamboree and there was even a bear named Zeke.  You were so good in the theatre.  You also really liked the Phillharmagic 3D show even though you didn't wear the glasses.  We rode Aladdin with you and then rode Splash Mountain and tried to ride Big Thunder Mountain together while you and Granny played.  We toured Tom Sawyer island, but it wasn't that big a deal to you.  Then we went to the Main Street Electrical Parade, which is back for the first time in 9 years.  It was so pretty and you got a buzz light while we waited that you really liked to play with.  The fireworks were beautiful, but we didn't have the best seat.

Thursday, June 10th

On this day, we went to Animal Kingdom.  We were all totally let down as none of us had ever been there before.  There weren't many animals out and the rides were not what we had been lead to believe.  There was even one land called Dino Land that reminded us of a carnival.  We made the best of the day though.  We started out on the Kilamanjaro Safari and also did the Lion King show that was really awesome.  Those two things were must sees for us at this park.  We had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe and that was an amazing experience, the best part of our day by far.  We stayed to watch the parade and then we left and headed back to the condo for the evening.  You went to sleep early so Granny stayed in with you while Daddy and I headed out to Planet Hollywood for supper.  We had a really good time, but you wouldn't have liked this restaurant that much.


Friday, June 11th

We went out to Epcot to do a meet and greet with the characters--Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald.  We had thought there would be a good place in Magic Kingdom, but this was really the best place to do autographs because it was inside and they were all in their formal/regular costumes.  We rode Nemo several more times, Soarin, and a few others while we were there.  We left there early afternoon and headed down to Universal Studios to eat at Margaritaville.  Dustin and Mom couldn't be this close and not have a cheeseburger in paradise, ha!  The food was very good.  We really enjoyed walking along the boardwalk and checking out a few things.  We headed back to the condo to pack up for the trip home.

Saturday, June 12th

We drove home on the 12th and it took less time to get home because we went through Atlanta.  It only took us 14 hours and we drove straight through.  You were a trooper once again and we had a really great trip!