Landen's surgery

Most of you know that Landen had to be at Greenville Memorial Hospital yesterday for his circumcision. We left Rock Hill at 4:30am and made it to Greenville by 6:30am. We headed straight to pre-op where they gave him this cute little gown and Ron and I had to wear the ugly gowns and cap so we could walk him down to the OR. After we met with all the Dr's, nurses,  and anesthesiologist we made our way to the OR where we left our baby in GREAT hands! Let me back up....before we left for the OR, we played in the room for awhile and his old Neuro nurse that took care of him after he had his shunt placed came in to see him before AND after the surgery! WE LOVE GREENVILLE HOSPITAL!  Ok, so after we left our sweet baby we went to the waiting room where it seemed we waited  forever but actually it didn't take long at all. After they extubated Landen we got to go to post op and wait for him to wake up. It didn't take long for him to wake up because I started rubbing his little face and talking to him. =)    Once he woke up he asked for his ball! (gosh I love that boy)
He was STARVING b/c he couldn't eat anything after midnight the night before the surgery. We were able to give him some sugar water before we left post op.  After we left, we went to NICU to see Landen's old nurse Sharon. She was so excited to see him and I'm so mad at myself for not getting pictures of her and Craig (his Neuro nurse) before we left.

He's doing great and he hasn't skipped a beat. He is a little more grouchy and fussy but who wouldn't be after getting cut on. Thank goodness he doesn't have alot of feeling down there. They think he might have some "spotty" sensation down there which is why he is fussy. (thank goodness for tylenol with CDN)

We still have to go back in April for a swallow study because he is still choking on food, milk, spit, air etc.
Here are some before and after the surgery! Is he not the cutest little booger you've ever seen.

We would like to thank Greenville Memorial for being so great to us and Landen. Levine's is NO comparison to Greenville which is why we would much rather travel the 2 hrs to get excellent care!!!!!

Tidbits about the Blacks

Ok, so I usually blog about Landen simply because we want to raise awareness about Spina Bifida and the joys of raising a child with Spina Bifida. We want to reach out to those individuals who might be pregnant and just finding out that they are about to embark on a different journey than they planned on. Our purpose is to give hope and encouragement to those families. BUT.... yesterday my daughter asked me WHY don't you have a blog about me and Zach? Why don't you ever talk or write about us? I said to her, "If you were to read Landen's blog then you would know that I do in fact write about you and Zach." I also explained to her that there are individuals out there who are contemplating on having an abortion or give their baby away because the simple fact that they are pregnant with a child diagnosed with Spina Bifida and we don't want that. So long story short she understood and was ok that I don't have a specific blog just for her(even though she totally deserves one!)   =)

Lexi...Where to begin? She's 15 yrs old and 5 mos. She's beautiful,smart,witty,funny,mischevious,caring,loving, sensitive,modest,a good listener, a great sister, has lots of great friends and when she drives she rides the white line(makes me nuts)... I could go on and on and on. She makes me proud, makes me laugh(she has LOTS of blonde moments) and I am oh so lucky to be her mom. On a daily basis I will catch her reading the scriptures, being a therapist to her friends(I told you she is a good listener)doing laundry to help me out, and complaining because "we have no food in this house" really what she means is... we don't have Mcdonalds fries or nuggets. She's the greatest and I love her so much!

Zach... well, he just got a hair cut and looks Sooooo handsome! He's a sportsaholic(is that a word?) He just finished basektball and is already playing baseball and he's already trying to figure out what's next after baseball. He lives for hunting and you can catch him in his deer stand shooting squirrels that are just trying to get a nut(as Ron says!) He loves Reece's, grits,cocoa pebbles,yogurt,ice cream, Mcdonalds,CiCi's and macaroni. (he's not picky or anything =)
He LOVES scaring people but HATES being scared???
He wants to be either a professional baseball player or Hockey player. Either way he has agreed that when he makes the big leagues, he'll provide Ron and me with $30,000 a month and a motor home so we can travel around and watch him play. What a deal!!! He told Lexi he would give her $10 a month. =)
He's a great big brother and Landen LOVES him more than he loves anyone else in the family.(not joking) Landen will totally look up to Zach!  I am so lucky to be his mom!

Landen... He's 10 mos 2 weeks and a 1 day. He's awesome! He loves oatmeal and pears, Good Start formula, cheese puffs, Mcdonalds fries, his wagon, ANY ball of any kind. Soccer ball, basketball, baseball,football,soft ball, hard ball, pink ball, green ball, ANY BALL! We've actually changed his birthday theme from monkeys to balls! His new word is ball and sometimes it sounds like he is saying "my ball".  He loves watching people, children play at therapy, being outside,chewing on whatever fits in his mouth and getting his way!

Ron... He's a loving husband and father(the best). He too is a sportsaholic(again, is this a word?)He loves his Clemson Tigers =) (ha ha ha ha ha) just kidding. He loves his Gamecocks and Winthrop Eagles. He loves a ball too, just not pink. He likes to travel, SHOP(I know right), he likes to eat out, play cards,watch t.v, shoot his new gun(no it's not a BB gun and yes it is put up in a safe place away from the kids and on lock for those who may be wondering)He's smart, funny, loving,kind, protective, trustworthy, amazing husband with lots of other great qualities! I have been blessed with such a great man.

Me...I don't like to talk about myself but I will say that I am a loving mother that adores her family and would do ANYTHING in the world for them. I am an over protective mom, I don't like being judged before you meet me (judge away after you meet me.) I used to be this shy little girl who didn't want to speak her mind for fear of hurting someones feelings but as I have gotten older, I speak my mind and if you don't like it, I don't care. I am a home body who loves to clean. I hate cooking but I like to bake.  
I love being a mom of a child with different ABILITIES! I am a krispy kreme junkie. I love flannel blankets and flannel pj's. I prefer the mountains over the beach UNLESS we are in the Bahamas. Dislike Zumba b/c things go one way when it's supposed to be going the other and things jiggle in places they aren't supposed to. I love the smell of my husbands cologne, and the smell of Landen after a bath and a dab of baby lotion. I am a GREAT mother and I know what's best for my children!

We are a down to earth family with lots and lots and lots and lots of love! Family is the most important thing to us. We would love to adopt another child with Spina Bifida but would take any child that just needs to be loved and cared for regardless of what "ABILITIES" they may have! We thank God for all that we have and give thanks to him daily!

Just a quick FYI~

For individuals who may read my blog and not like something that is posted or you don't like the pictures that I put up then please move on to the next blog! I've taken down pictures in the past b/c some people didn't like the pictures and questioned my ability and knowledge of taking care of my Landen. I realize that everyone is entitled to their own opinions(just don't post them on Landen's website! We have listed our e-mail at the top of the page so if you have concerns or questions regarding my knowledge to care for my children please contact me via e-mail b/c I would love to respond to you. Again, this blog is about raising awareness about Spina Bifida. This blog is to show others just how happy,smart,healthy,and normal kids with Spina Bifida are. This blog is about Landen and our family and how happy, blessed,lucky,and how totally in love we are with our baby that was born with Spina Bifida!

With lots of love,

The Blacks 

My baby is growing up =(

Feb 28th, 2010 Landen turned 10 mos old! My baby isn't a baby anymore =(  

He's graduated from an infant car seat to a toddler car seat, he got his AFO's (which are oh so cute!) He will be getting his stander in a week or two, he has 4 teeth. (2 on top and 2 on bottom) and he's learning new things every day. He has learned how to do Pat-a-cake Pat-a-cake(we worked on this for about 2 months and he's finally doing it) It's the most ADORABLE thing ever!! I would post a video of him doing it but as soon as he sees the camera come out he stops!

He LOVES a ball...any ball and he's getting really good at throwing it. We were on our way to Greenville Monday and I saw him swinging his arm up and down but I wasn't sure which way he was going to fling it so I was aware that I might get hit in the head with a foam baseball while driving but he ended up throwing it all the way in the back of the van. =)   He was quiet upset and couldn't understand WHY I wasn't getting the ball and giving it back to him. (he has strawberry/blonde hair so he has a temper too!)

We got to Advanced Prosthetics in Greenville where they put the AFO's on him and as we waited 30 minutes to make sure they fit his cute little feet and legs perfectly with no redness, we met some wonderful people from Virginia that had brought their sweet,handsome, and very smart soon to be 14 year old son named Cameron who also has Spina Bifida. He was also getting his AFO's. He walks unassisted, plays church basketball and baseball, catherizes himself and is very independent. His level is L3 which is a step higher than Landen's. How amazing is God?

After leaving Advanced Prosthetics, we headed to the Gaffney outlets to get him some new kicks. We finally found some at Stride Rite b/c they were the only place that had extra wide shoes. He's now in a 4 extra wide. They make absolutely no cute shoes in extra wide. WHY NOT? We went to babies R us this past weekend to get Landen's car seat and we found some AWESOME converse shoes but NO EXTRA WIDE.Oh well, some things are more important but I want my boy to wear cute shoes! Ron says we should just go to wal-mart or k-mart and get him some "smacks" ha ha ha....My boy WILL NOT wear those!

There are still many things to come for Landen. March 14th will be a very busy day for him. We have to be at Shriners at 9am for them to measure his right leg that is shorter than his left(hip dysplasia) and put a lift on his R shoe. Then it's next door to Greenville hospital at 9:30am for a swallow study to make sure he is not aspirating his food b/c he chokes and gags on some foods. I personally think it's just different textures that bother him.(we shall she!) Then he will be circumsized after the swallow study... thank goodness he has no feeling down there! PLUS.....Big L likes to yank and pull on his peeper. I'm not quiet sure why b/c again, he can't feel it. I guess it's like a new toy for him. I'm just concerned b/c he will have sutures in his peeper until they disolve or Landen yanks them out. Let's hope they disolve!

Landen LOVES LOVES LOVES LOVES his brother. Did I say LOVES? I have always wanted him to be a momma's boy and he is but he is his brothers boy! When he's with Zach, he doesn't have a care in the world and could care less where momma is! When Zach is holding him, he will not go to anyone else and will wave bye bye to you because he wants you to go away! I think it is the sweetest thing that he loves his "bubba" so much!

We went shopping yesterday at a huge consignment shop(For Every Season) they hold it 4 times a year(hence....4 seasons)
and I found lots of goodies for monkey. It's getting harder and harder to shop for the guy b/c 12 mos clothes fit but some are a little snug so we bought all 18 mos clothes that are a little big???? His wonderful Aunt(who loves him oh sooooooooo much bought him a cute bathing suit, some sandals, and a train with animals (which he played with for an hr after we got home!) We had a wonderful time shopping and Landen enjoyed it too!

RECOGNIZING MY DAUGHTER~

My daughter (Lexi) is such a great sister, daughter, and helper. I couldn't do it without her. She has grown into such a wonderful young woman and she is going to be an amazing mother some day! THANK YOU LEXI FOR HELPING ME ALL THE TIME WITH HOUSE WORK, LANDEN, ZACH'S HOMEWORK, LAUNDRY...ETC. You are the greatest and I am so proud of you and the person you have become! I love you.

That's all for now!

                                              Monkey with his ball!

                                          

                                    

                                                Enjoying a solo game of basketball

                                           His new leg warmers (AFO's) and new kicks

                                          Getting lost in his clothes while cleaning out his closet

                      His SEXY legs with his new AFO's