Ring that Bell!!!

I recently received this photo-text from my Aunt!  It’s a little blurry...BUT it's so awesome!!!  Why??  Because it's my Pap…ringing the bell to signify his final radiation treatment for lung cancer!  Go Pap!  Such a big step in the direction of getting better!

I should also mention that Praise to God is needed and a big ol’ thanks to everyone who’s been praying! At a recent appointment with his doctor’s at Siteman, Pap was told that his tumor has receded away from his vital organs. They were/are extremely happy with the progress they have had in shrinking the tumor.  The doctor said, and I quote, “I do believe we are going to beat this!”

It’s pretty amazing news to hear for this family!  And prayers for the chemo treatments which began a short while ago and will continue for many weeks ahead. 

Pap keep your head up and keep on fighting.  We LOVE you!!

Woody the wounded!

Woody, probably wishes he never set his perfectly pointy, cowboy-booted feet anywhere near our house.  In our house, we have a dog.  Her name is Deci.  Among her many talents, destruction by teeth tops the list!

Woody lasted about one week after the Christmas holiday and I picked him up off the floor looking like this:

Poor Woody! 

In an update about this particular massacre, his legs were sewn back up thanks to Grandma PJ.  Woody lives to see another day!!

A Chubby Boys Bath time!

Cooper LOVES to look at himself in the mirror.  He smiles non-stop.  How could you not when this chubby little face is staring back at you??

I should also point out that this big guy is now seated in a bath chair for all baths!  He loves to play with the bubbles and chase the blue cup we use for rinsing hair (well Owens hair) all around the tub in front of him.

This Momma loves, loves, loves bath time in our house!!

Surgery Wrap up!

After his nap in Dadda's lap, Owen woke up more like himself.  He was talking to us instead of crying.  The nurse said home and he said Home? Bye Bye??  Okay! He didn't even cry when she took out his iv and untaped one of the sensors that were left on his chest.  He was our great big champ and I am so proud of him!

They warned us that eye patients often get sick on the ride home or once arriving home just due to adjusting to their vision and eyes being messed with.  This little guy was green on the ride home as you can see from the picture...but never did get sick.  Even once we made it home he was a champ.  He was quickly asking for chocolate milk and cookies...which is all he ate for dinner! But come on...this kid could have asked me to cut off my left arm...and I would have tried to figure out a way to do it!

Since being home Owen went a few days doing great...and then Friday evening spiked a fever.  After a panicked call to Children's it was thought to be a coincidence of timing.  Go figure!  We sooo should have known O would come down with a virus or something!  I mean we did go to a hospital.

Anyway, surgery was a success.  His eyes are seeming to heal nicely. The ointment we put in twice a day seems to be a nice relief for him when they appear to be irritated. We go back in 3 months to the Eye Center for follow up...until then we're nursing a fever ridden little boy who can't seem to catch a break!  Prayers for this family as we deal with our 5th round of fevers since the end of October.

All finished up!

He's all done and back with us! I'll post more once were home and settled in. For now we nap in dadda's lap!

Away he goes...

After an interesting morning of fishy-covered hospital gowns, Lightning McQueen stickers, and a very special medicine, everything is under way.

Our big brave boy is back in surgery! Now we just wait...

Almost Ready…

It is official.

Tomorrow, Owen’s eye surgery will be taking place!  I have received the call from the Day Surgery Nurses and everything is set to go.  We report to the hospital at 6:15am.

Some other tid bits of information??

Tonight after 12am Owen can only have white soda, water or apple juice

Tomorrow after 4am Owen can’t have anything else to eat or drink

We have watched the DVD, read the paperwork two or three times, packed Owen’s Lightning McQueen blanket and his Woody doll for him to take into surgery with him…

And think we know what to expect.  Note the words THINK!

Here we go big boy! Tomorrow we’re gonna go straighten out those big beautiful blue eyes of yours. Hopefully this time tomorrow we’re home on the couch watching Lightning and Mater race in the World Grand Prix and drinking all the chocolate milk your little heart desires!

Stay tuned for updates!

Date night with the hubs…

I post a lot about our kids on here…and I realize unless Jer and I make a big trip somewhere, there isn’t much about our going’s-ons.  We recently went on a date…first in a while actually…and enjoyed some much needed adult time!  On our date we:

Had a delicious dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings

Shopped at an Old Navy and sent a funny pic to Steff and Bry

Decided to frequent a neat little place called Global Brew…where our samples of beer…known as a beer board…left a little to be desired.  We had a good laugh about it though J

We also realized we are getting old because the place was so loud we ended up texting each other across the table so we could talk.

Like I said…we’re getting old! 

What I realized is that I’m blessed because this guy still enjoys my company so much and I in turn can't think of anyone else I'd rather spend an evening drinking strange beers and laughing about it with. 

AND I'm also thankful that after all the years we’ve been together as a couple (14 years this February!!!), we still have so much to say to each other when it's just us!

Love you Jer.

Surgeries, therapy, preschool and a smattering of updates!

It’s 2012…over 2 weeks into 2012…and boy have I been slacking! What’s new?  Lately it seems that my blog mantra has been filled with these same sentiments.  Maybe if I stop beating myself up about it, it won’t feel so guilty about not posting?? Anyway...moving on...

I love the feeling of a new year.  How it refreshes and motivates me to get things a little more organized, start fresh and re-set and create new goals.  I want to start my first couple posts focusing on getting all caught back up about general Linley goings-ons.  I hope you enjoy some general catch up from the trenches of this thing we call life!

Surgeries…oh will be I happy girl when January is over!!  January 20^th my Dad went in for a procedure having to do with his heart.  He has a condition called Wolff Parkinson White.  My laymen’s understanding of this condition is that there is an extra nerve in the electrophysiology of his heart…and it causes it to beat differently than most.  There are dangerous risks involved in carrying on with this condition. Not the least of which can be cardiac arrest. Dad recently gave us all a great scare when he was admitted to the ER with a heart rate of 214.  After a night of observation he was told that he did not in fact have a heart attack (praise be!), but that due to his condition he was lucky that in the almost 30 years since he was diagnosed that it was the only episode he’s really had!  Dad was referred to a specialist who deals with WPW and based on his first appointment with this doctor was told he needed to have a procedure that will eliminate that extra nerve.  The procedure took just under 3 hours to complete and Dad was home resting early in the evening last night.  He goes back in a month for a new EKG and following that another 6 months later to ensure that little bugger of a nerve didn't regenerate itself!  Thank goodness for medicine and the amazing things they can do!  On the flip side the doctor took one look at me yesterday and said, you are his daughter?  I highly recommend you get an EKG just to be sure you don't have the same condition. Apparently you can walk around your whole life with zero symptoms and still have it!  Interesting and good to know!

Then let's see...January 24 (THIS TUESDAY!!) Owen will go to Children’s Hospital for his eye surgery…so far everything is the same as the last time we mentioned it.  Momma and Dadda and everyone else are nervous…and anxious for this to be over!  Nothing new here…just marching towards the scheduled date!  This coming weekend we will share a video with him and talk to him about what he will be going through on Tuesday.  I also answered a bunch of health questions for a day surgery nurse and got some basic instructions yesterday.  We can bring a favorite blanket or toy for him to take with him...also to bring sunglasses b/c his eyes will be weepy and sensitive when we leave.  Um...queue the tears!

Speaking of Owen, we have embarked on the final 3 months of Owen’s therapy.  He is finally rocking and rolling with a speech, developmental and occupational therapist 3 hours a week.  To say that the journey has been easy is a lie.  But the hardest part about the journey has not been the therapy itself. That part…what we have received anyway, has given us great empowerment and motivation as parents. We have great tools to use…and we’ve learned a lot about the kind of parents we want to continue aspiring to be.  And how best to get Owen all that he needs to learn and thrive in toddlerhood And best of all...Owen has soaked up everything like a sponge and turned into a talking machine! But the program we have been involved with…has put us through some interesting trials.  And it’s unfair just as everything is settling out and we’re getting Owen the complete package he was supposed to have since July, that we will have to be leaving the program.  Regardless, Owen’s care is our top priority. I would like to get into a post all about therapy and what it has done for our house and how it has helped us teach and work with Owen in a more positive way…and I will. Very soon so stay tuned!

Speaking of leaving programs…Owen turns 3 in March. This means that as he exits the Early Intervention Program, he will be entering the Early Childhood Program through our school district.  We toured the school in December and Owen loved it.  And we go back February for an evaluation and to make the final decision about Owen attending this school beginning in the spring.  If he does qualify, he will begin preschool 5 days a week for a few hours each day. I’m excited for him and also not sure I’m ready! (It's all about me right?!?) So 2012 is going to be a big year for us!  One entering preschool and one turning one!

What else is happening?? 

For the most part the beginning of our year is pretty quiet!   Or maybe not really??  BUT:

This little lady in our life will turn one on the 24^th and we get to celebrate her 1^st Birthday party on the 28^th.  We cannot wait!!

Jer and I have a couple fun dates planned to help us get in some more husband and wife time together…we were a little short on that last year what with having a new baby and all!

AND we’re also on the countdown for this big guys 3^rd birthday! 

And finally Jer will sit again for his PE in April and we’ll be making the trip down to Columbia as we did last spring…and Jer will be taking classes for about 8 weeks in a row on Saturday mornings prior to the test.  Prayers for my hubby as he prepares to have his brain grilled once again.

So that’s a quick glance at what’s up and coming with the Linley’s…I hope everyone is having a wonderful start to a fresh new year!

Ever heard the saying…

Don’t Wake a sleeping baby???

Um yeah…those words are so important to remember!! 

So last night, Mr. C decided to cram his head into his crib rails at 2:30am. When Momma tried to move him back, she scared the diaper off of him because he wasn’t truly awake…there was jumping, crying that turned into full on screaming and guess what? He woke up. A lot. 

Guess who’s been up since 2:30???  DING DING DING!  He never did get settled until oh…5am.  We did a lot of rocking and then putting him down.  He'd be good for 10 or 15 minutes…then begin the kicking of legs, rubbing of eyes, and waking of his cute little self. There also lots of smiling…like Hi Momma. I’ve had 8 hours of sleep…I’m rested. Feed me. Play with me.  Let me put my slobbery-covered fingers in your 2am mess of hair and grab your lips. Are you awake?  You should be!  It’s fun! 

He’s lucky he’s cute that one!!  It was shades of Owen…and he’s lucky he's cute too.

Regardless...the saying don't wake a sleep baby?  It should also translate to...Don't wake a sleeping Momma. Or...don’t mess with momma in the middle of the night.  More precisely I mean don't mess with me between the hours of 12am and 3:30 or 4am.  My REM Cycle doesn’t allow interruptions without stomping, groaning and flat out impatience with being awake!  

That’s all for now. Thanks Coop for reminding that I can in fact operate (i.e. shower, dress myself, drive a car and work) on 4 hours of sleep. Woot!

Happy 5 Months and counting...Mr. Cooper!

And the Mother of the Year Award goes to...ding ding ding!!  I've been delayed in posting my blessed baby boy's 5 months photos and stats...for oh...half the month!!  But I'm hoping I won't be so late next month...and Cooper will one day find it in his heart to forgive me! I love you bubba!  Sorry these are delayed.

Here's what our little bruiser has been up to the past few weeks:

Weight: 18lbs!!!!!  Momma's arm is done with the carseat carrying!

Diaper size: 3 in dailies and 3 in overnights (yep...we need overnights for our sleeping champ who sleeps almost 11 and 12 hours a night consistently!)

Eye Color: Still Blue!

Starting to push up on his hands

Can roll over all ways - he's a maniac if you lay him on the floor and will roll half way across any room!!

Transferring things from one hand to another

Can put his pacifier in his mouth...ok sometimes it's in backwards or sideways...but even still!!

Stores food in his cheeks for winter...or we think it appears that way anyway!

Sleeping unswaddled - 3 nights in a row so far!!

Drool factory continues from last month stats and according to the doctor...no teeth yet!

Paid a visit to our doctor after a week long cold left him pulling on his ears.  They were perfect...so it was just a fake out!  But he was snotty none the less!

Laughs uncontrollably at being tickled.

Loves to have me pull his bink out of his mouth with my teeth and grab it from me

Eating solid foods...and LOVING it!  He is eating oatmeal and fruit in the morning.  At dinner time he's eating a meat, veggie and another fruit.  So far his favorites are anything with bananas, oatmeal and peas! But let's be serious...the kid LOVES to eat and he's got the perfect chubby rolls to prove it :)

LOVES his Baby Einstein bouncer, doorway bouncer and his puppy dog that sings to him in the pack n play!

Loves putting everything into his mouth...hair, fingers, toys, Owen's foot. It doesn't matter.  If he's got it in his hand it's going in his mouth!

And yep...still bald as a cue ball!!

**Shout out to Uncle Josh and Aunt Katie for the adorable hat :) It was the perfect January diaper pic addition!!!

Dear Coop,

It's crazy to think that in a few short weeks we'll have had you for almost half a year.  Where does the time go buddy?  You continue to be an absolutely amazing joy for our family.  Your brother doesn't like to go anywhere without you and you seem to adore him just as much as he does you.  I LOVE watching you two together.  Listening to you laugh makes the world stop spinning for a second and I remember how truly blessed I am in this life.

I love your chubby little self to a million pieces sir.  Just like your brother.  And your Dadda.  

Thanks for being adorable happy you and making my life complete!!

Your Momma :)

Thoughts on Cold and Flu Season…

Dear Cold and Flu Season,

Let me just stress, how much we hate you in our house! 

That is all.

Kindly Bug Off. The Linleys

Our 2011 Holiday

What did our holiday season look like this year?  Well my dear readers…it looked pretty great!!  We started celebrating the holiday early and wrapped it up on New Years Eve night.  It was busy and full and wonderful!  Just the way we’ve grown to love it!  Settle in...there are lots of pictures!

Celebration #1

December 18^th had our annual Flory Family get-together.  We’ve never officially called it that…but that’s what I think I’m gonna call it!  It’s basically just that. The Flory side of our family gathering in one spot to celebrate!

This year was no different than any other. Wonderful food, drinks and of course company!

Uncle Doug has an amazing drum collection…and Owen LOVES exploring and making music with him!

 A Cotton Eyed Joe singing Bear made its way into our White Elephant Gift Exchange…and this prompted tons of dancing from Mr. O!

We ended the night listening to Pap strum his guitar and watching his great grandson cross the room to put his hands back on the strings and ask him to sing some more.  We heard some Johnny Cash and Jingle Bells and the night was complete. 

Christmas Eve

This year we had the rare pleasure of spending a Christmas Eve with zero plans. No get together, no food to make, no where to be!  What did we do with this?  We seized the opportunity to have some wonderful family time!!

My favorite part of the day included watching Owen help make his first ever batch of sugar cookies.  He LOVED it!  Every detail. The flour. The cutters. The decorations.  It was priceless in my book!!

We took off to view some Christmas lights in the area that evening, and Owen and Coop crashed before we even got to the first display.  But Jer and I enjoyed a little quiet husband and wife time talking about our kids and our year and life in general.

When we got home we got the boys settled down and capped off our night with the fireplace roaring and Christmas Vacation playing.  I could go for lots more days just like this one in 2012!

Christmas Day

On Christmas day we woke up early to the pitter patter of little feet making their way to our room.  When we stumbled out of bed the following conversation took place:

Me:  Owen, Santa brought you presents buddy. Are you excited?  

Owen: Santa?!?  Presents?? WHERE?!?!?!?  

Me: Under the tree 

And the rest is history!  Following our morning of family time, we headed off to visit the Linley side of things!  We ate some delicious snacks and enjoyed some wonderful memory making!  We headed from there to the Lambie side of things where we enjoyed more wonderful family time, gift opening and delicious food!

We made it home at 9pm that evening, full, exhausted, and loaded down with more gifts than you can even imagine but so very blessed!

New Year’s Weekend

We wrapped up our holiday season with a Walnut and Wisconsin gathering of Linley's!  It was nearly 30 people strong and was the lovely, messy chaos we've come to expect and enjoy when gathering our whole crew together! There was again delicious food, unwrapping of presents, catching up and lots of laughter. 

And that's a wrap...we were so exhausted when we got home, we didn't even make it to see the ball drop!  

But guess what?  Watching it or not, 2012 came just the same!

This particular set of Linley's is one lucky bunch and we had an amazing holiday season.  

 Here's hoping that everyone had a wonderful Christmas season this year! Until next year!!