Where's Weagan?

So last week I went to work several days. I was kind of back in the morning routine. I usually get ready first and then I get the kids ready. When I came into the living room, I turned on the big light, and then went to the laundry room (which is on the opposite side of the hallway from Kaden's room). I turned the hall light on. I suppose this woke Kaden up. It was still a little dark outside. Anyway, when I came back into the living room, Kaden comes out of his room. He has the most adorable sleepy face. He asks me, "Where's Weagan?" I tell him, "Well baby, she's still sleeping." Thinking he was going to stay awake, I was getting ready to put on The Backyardigans and when I turned around I see his door shut. So I assume he went to his room to play with his toys. Oh no...he went right back to bed and covered up. After I got ready, I went in to get him up and asked him, "Where did you go? I thought you were getting up." He just started laughing. It was so cute! I guess since he didn't have Reagan to play with, he decided he should just go back to sleep. He loves that little girl!

Speaking of Reagan, here are a few funny things she did this week...

-the first thing she says in the morning is, "Hello". I wish you could hear it. It is so funny!

- She is extremely fascinated with shoes. She finds them in places I didn't know we had shoes. She found one of Kaden's crocs and literally walked around with it all night. It didn't bother her at all that she didn't have the other one.

- She loves when you tell her she's so pretty. She lifts her dresses up a bit and twirls them. Give her a purse or a headband and she's even more beautiful!

- She's learned to take her diaper off. The other night, we went through 3 diapers in like 5 minutes. I'd look up and see her playing with her shirt on and nothing else. It's like she would rather prefer it this way!

- Apparently my daughter does things the opposite way. Who says you have to eat an ice cream cone from top to bottom? Nah! Reagan eats the cone first. Oh yes, imagine the mess.

- She started singing Old MacDonald Had a Farm. If you sing the first part, she says, "E I E I O". She then tries to make a pig noise by growling! Oh and she now says Q, R, S in the alphabet song.

- She loves puppies! She is always walking around with a puppy book saying "Puppy" over and over. She then barks.

- She has such good manners...saying thank you after her big brother gives her something. She even says sorry if she does something to hurt him or his feelings.

- She is a little bossy. If we're telling Kaden to do something, she gives her opinion and lets him have it. But she loves him dearly! She's just looking out for him.

New House

Mom and Dad are moving into their new house and we went to check it out today. The kids were CRAZY! They still had not brought the toys so they were toyless. It didn't stop them from finding things to do...like playing in a pile of newspapers (that the glasses were wrapped in). The funniest was watching them run from my dad. They would take off running from my dad and he would hide. When they came out to find him, he would scare them. Of course they would take off running the other way. But little Reagan...she just screamed as loud and high as she could. Her little feet were practically off of the floor she was running so fast. She followed Kaden everywhere. They were adorable! Reagan finally got to the point to where she would put her hands over her eyes. She really thought it made her invisible.

The new house is nice. The best part is they are so much closer. It only takes about 10 minutes to get there. And the good thing is the kids like it as much as us!

Super Kid

When I got to the sitter's yesterday, Kaden's name was on the wall. This wall usually displays who has used the potty and how many times. It also says if somebody has a diaper rash, fever, or seemed upset for some reason. Then of course, it lists kids who have hit, pushed, and bit. Kaden is never on there for those reasons unless somebody hit, pushed or bit him. He is, however on there for climbing onto furniture and jumping. That's my kid. Then finally there's the names of kids who do nice things like help clean up, share, and be nice to others.

But when I got there I noticed some words in big letters that were outlined in a big circle and lots of exclamation marks. Inside it said, "Super kid of the day...KADEN!!!!" I know it sounds silly to be excited about this, but over the summer Kaden has experienced his terrible 2's. Kaden never hits or gets violent at all, but he does do a good temper tantrum. One where he yells no, stomps his feet and sometimes falls on the floor. Alot of times this happens when he is not feeling well or is extremely tired. It just so happens that during the summer he may not take a nap everyday. This is because we're either not at home or he has slept too late. So, for last 2 weeks, the tantrums have become minimal and controllable. And the times that I have taken him to Ms. Sharon's, he has been awesome. He is so sweet. She said yesterday he was sharing, being very polite, cleaning up, and helping others. She said he has been just awesome lately. I was so proud of him. Oh and by the way, there has never been a super kid of the day. This was a first!!!!

So I thought he was having such an awesome day and I had to go to Wal-Mart so I decided to take the kiddos with me on the way home. This is usually the worst time of the day and the lines are super long causing the kids to get a little impatient. So lately, either me or Wade goes to the store without the kids. It just becomes such a hassle with both of them...and so hot getting them in and out of the car. But yesterday the kids were great. Kaden listened to me and did everything I asked of him. The best is when I tell him thank you for something and in a high pitched voice he replies, "You welcome". You'd have to hear it to understand. So adorable. So yesterday was a wonderful day.

Unfortunately when we got home, Kaden got a little dose of diarrhea. (I know, I know, TMI). Reagan's had it since Saturday. I feel like all I do is change sheets. The good news is it doesn't seem to bother them at all (no throwing up, fever, etc.). I just hope it's not something Wade catches since he starts his next treatment Friday. We'll keep our fingers crossed!

Ahhhh...So Quiet

It's so quiet here I'm not sure what to make of it. The kiddos were in bed by 8:00. Poor Kaden feel asleep in his little recliner. It was too cute. He was exhausted! At this time, the kitchen had been cleaned and the living room picked up. So refreshing! I had a margarita and then a long hot shower. At 10:00, I thought to myself, "Wow, it still seems so early!" I've decided to take the kids to the babysitter tomorrow and Wade volunteered to take them (it's close to an hour round trip). He just came out and said he'd take them.

I don't dare do the "my kids are in bed early tonight dance". Last time I did that Kaden was at our door at midnight saying, "Hello" in a very British accent (I know weird, but sometimes he does this!). I do look forward to my beautiful babies waking up in the morning and greeting me with their beautiful smiles and sweet voices that just completely melt me! But for now, I'll just sit here and enjoy the peace and quiet!

Too Close? Not Possible!

As I sit here and watch my two beautiful babies play together, I can't help but think back. When we found out we were pregnant with Reagan, we were more than thrilled. We weren't really trying to have another baby, but we also weren't really preventing it from happening. Fortunately for us, the first time seems to be a charm. Kaden was 10 months old when we got pregnant. I never once thought, "What in the world are we going to do? He's still a baby and now we have another baby on the way." But we always had people saying, "Oh my gosh. That's going to be tough. Two babies in diapers". The list goes on. I have always wanted to have my kids close together and we were extremely blessed for it to have happened that way.

Kaden was great with Reagan from day one. They are incredibly close and really and truly love one another. Reagan is finally at the age where she can run and play with her big brother. I love watching them chase after one another, but the best is watching them love one another. It's usually Reagan who tries to kiss Kaden and half of the time Kaden either ignores her or tells her to stop. But she just ignores. And the other half of the time Kaden either kisses back or smiles. Kaden is always making sure she's okay, especially if she hurts herself. It's priceless. I hope and pray that they remain close and they always take care of one another. God has blessed us with two beautiful, close, special babies.

Home

Please forgive me for a late update. I actually typed everything in an email the day he came home and went to spell check it. When I did, it froze and all that I wrote was completely gone. It took a long time to write it and the thought of having to do it all over again was killing me. So, I'm going to give it another go...

Wade came home from the hospital Thursday afternoon. He was ready to get home and the kids were even happier to see their daddy. Kaden ran to him and Wade picked him up. Kaden kept saying, "Daddy" over and over and then said, "You went to the doctor? You got better?" So cute. Reagan of course gave her daddy a huge "Reagan smile".

This round of chemo seemed to be much easier on Wade. They were constantly there to make sure he was okay. The only big problem was that starting the 3rd day of him doing his chemo drugs, his blood sugar became "critically high" which means it was above 500. Because of this they were constantly giving him insulin to bring it back down. They said the cause was probably from one of the steroid drugs they give him. It is the best drug to keep him from getting nauseous. It apparently does this to a lot of people. It was a struggle to get this under control. Now in the past, on the last day, Wade's heart rate would beat close to 125 and he felt this caused him to be extremely uncomfortable and exhausted. He said he thought he felt better this time and maybe it was because they were able to get it under control.

They sent him home with a glucose monitor and he is having to keep a close eye on his sugar. He has seen a endocrinologist once and will go back Wednesday to see her again. She said a lot of times taking these drugs can push you over the edge and you could become Diabetic. I'm sure Wade is borderline with it running in his family, but this does not help. The doctor said we had to wait several days for the steroid to get completely out of his system in order for his sugar to get regulated. So, we will see. Because of his sugar being out of control this time, they will probably admit him the next two times. Of course I hate him being away and he misses the kids tremendously, but if it means he will feel better, then it is all worth it.

And strangely, this time he did not get bone pain. He usually gets this on Sunday. It is from the neulasta shot. He said he felt weird not having it, but I reassured him that it is a good thing, not to doubt it, and that his prayers are being answered. More to come in the next few weeks!

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You know, there is nothing that hurts me more than sitting in the hospital room with Wade and watching him have to struggle to overcome all the pain that comes with chemo. But then as I am walking to the parking garage across the street from MDA, I see a man in a wheelchair hooked up to the machines with many chemo bags. Then, he coughs as he blows out the smoke from the cigarette he's smoking. Ugh...it was like a slap in the face. Here Wade is upstairs exhausted with cancer in his lungs and has NEVER smoked a cigarette a day of his life and this man is smoking his cigarettes. My first question is why even do chemo? Why try to fix one thing when it could cause more damage in the long run? As I tell this to Wade, he tells me I don't know his story. Maybe he has no chance of surviving and why not have one last smoke? I don't really know. But I do know that it is not my place to judge. Though I cringe when I see people smoking and many times get very angry, it still not place to judge and I have to realize that. I'm working on it.

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One day Wade and I walked out of the room to go for a walk and this man in his room down the hall yells to Wade, "Hey, what happened to all of your hair?" Of course Wade laughs knowing the same has happened to this man and walks closer to his room. He's sitting on his bed and his wife is standing next to him. It looked as if maybe he was about to be discharged. The question you may hear around MDA is, "So, what are you in for?" It sounds like something you'd say in prison I know. So his story is he has bone cancer and has been fighting it for 30 years. It has come back 8 times. He was telling Wade MDA is the best place to be and it is where he has been from the start. He said his cancer has come back 8 times now. His wife tells us that every time the time in between gets shorter. This last time he was cancer free for 18 months. But they were both so optimistic and full of faith. She said, "You know, I tell him, you must be needed here on earth to do great things and when the time comes, He just needs you more than we do down here." Sad I know, but they both were smiling ear to ear. You can't help but feel relief when you hear stories like theirs. I mean 30 years. That's amazing! That's one thing you will find there...people there to lift you up. And the most amazing part, it seems as though every person we have talked to has had an incredible amount of faith.

Reagan Avery

Funny things she says and does:

Says...

- Go Away (very clear and is by far her favorite)
- Hi Mama!
- Bubba
- Dada
- Sit down (while standing in her chair)
- Kitty Cat
- Choo Choo
- Bye Bye
- Love you (a little muffled)
- PaPa
- Baby
- Byce
- Look
- yeah (more like, yeeeeaaaaah. It's very drawn out and very cute I might add)
- outsi (for outside)
- out (in "The Itsy Bitsy Spider")
- A, B, C, D, E
- Sharon (more like, shera)
- Mmmmmm (when you ask her if something tastes good)
- Poo poo (nice I know)
- Ni ni (night night)
- Was sa (what's that?)
- Mine
- Uh oh
- owww


Does...

- she's beginning to run
- steals stuff (daddy calls her a ferret)
- is always taking the backs off of her earrings.
- loves to swim (mostly out of the float).
- winks
- hums the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle" in tune and says, "up above da"
- Hums "Happy Birthday" in tune and sings "Happy birthday to ..." and stops
- will sing "Happy Birthday" any time she's putting a hat or anything else on her head.
- hums ABC song in tune...sings to the letter e (yes, that's correct, she says, "A,B,C,D,E" and all in tune.
- smiles big and puts her hands on her outfit when you tell her she's so pretty.
- takes bows and tries to put them in her hair.
- holds her hands in the air when the windows are down or if the wind blows outside.
- when you tell her to find her baby she goes and gets two of them, brings them to you and makes you push the buttons (one coos and sings and the other laughs). She will take it, wrap her arms around the baby, sit down and stick her thumb in her mouth.
-goes to sleep so easy...it's time for night night. We lay her down and that's it.
- She sleeps at least 12 hours a night and goes down no later than 8:30 at night.
- she's a cuddlebug. She will bring you a blanket and cuddle with you.
- loves to kiss the kitty (Daphne and Norman)
- If you tell her it's time to eat, she comes running.
- She loves to chase her brother.
- loves Barney
- loves her friend Kate and loves to give her kisses.
- Absolutely adores her brother. She is always trying to kiss him. She will gently tap him on the head and then kiss him.
- She jumps up and down when we go to get her out of her bed.
- she has a purse that talks. She loves to empty it out and play with the keys, money, lipstick and especially the bracelet. She always puts the bracelet on.
- She loves Mommy's purse. She will put it on and head for the door saying, "Bye, bye"
- and so much more that I just can't think of.

More to come on Kaden!!!! :)

Get in Bed!

So it starts again. We're trying to break Kaden of yet another bad habit. Remember when I said Kaden asked me to lay down with him and I did...several times? Well for the past 2 nights I've been trying to break this habit. The first night was okay. Last night...ahhhh!!! I think he was up 30 times. So, here we go again.

Oh yeah and Reagan went to the doctor yesterday morning. I drove from Spring to Kingwood and was there when they opened so I could beg for them to see us. I had to be back in time to take Wade to MDA. Luckily they made some calls and took us right back! She has pink eye and a sinus infection. Lovely! Her eyes are so yucky. Although, this morning when she woke up, they were much better. I could get very descriptive but I won't gross you out. She's ran a fever off and on for the last 2 days. Hopefully it won't come back today! Yesterday it got up to 102.5. I dropped her off at Sharon's house when we were done at the doctor and then picked up Wade to go the hospital. I wasn't able to get to her until around 5:00. It was killing me! But, she's doing much better.

Hopefully tonight will go smoothly for both! Well all of us if you include me and Wade too!