PAINTS and PISTOLS: Fools in April

April is here. April is here! April is here?

As promised (and under multiple threats) I am here with an update! Hayes had his first appointment today with his endocrinologist and every thing went well. I say every thing went well - this seemed mostly like a 'meet and greet', but it definitely felt positive. Since Hayes is already five months old (tomorrow!), it seems that if there were serious problems with hormone deficiencies, they would have manifested themselves by now (i.e. seizures from low blood sugar, underdeveloped parts and poor growth). The doctor ordered a gamut of hormone blood tests, answered questions I had, and arranged for a follow-up in four weeks, at which point we'll review both the blood work and the MRI results and come up with a game plan based on what we find. Our 'game plan' means basically, how often we'll need to assess his hormone levels and whether or not we'll need to begin hormone therapy after we know more about Hayes' condition.

Hayes was super brave and strong during the lab work while the tech took 10 ml of blood (2 tsp). He hardly cried and I am so proud of him! He is doing much better with his head control and making progress at his own pace. My parents were here this weekend (Mom was able to come with me to the endo. appt., thanks God for good timing) and kept remarking in amazement what an AWESOME baby he is. Seriously, the best.

For inquisitive minds, here are some important upcoming dates for Baby Hayes:

April 9 - MRI
April 29 - Endocrinology Appointment to review hormone/MRI results
June 18 - Vision Check-up

Before I go on, Koby and I want to thank every one for their comments, texts, messages, calls, letters (yes! people still send mail!), and thoughts over the past few weeks. We are overwhelmed by your support and in addition to being grateful for our two astounding, amazing, spectacular children, we have been blessed with wonderful family and friends. I have been encouraged and made wiser by the compassion and advice received from so many who read the blog and it is good for my soul. Thank you.

-Commercial Break-

So, you may be wondering just why it is that I keep this blog. Obviously, it's a great (and maybe slightly narcissistic?) way to keep in touch with family and friends for those of us who are more verbose than a Tweet will allow. (And I can't convince my parents that Twitter is cool, so that's out for them anyways.) It's a therapeutic outlet for me, a place to gather thoughts and organize them. A lot of people relayed to me that they appreciate my transparency and I HOPE that one day someone who is struggling with the same things as I am will find these posts encouraging. That's my prayer, anyway, and it's the boost I need when I feel like I just can't bring myself to be honest about my feelings on something that's challenging or difficult or controversial.

But one foundational purpose of this blog is much more selfish and sad than all of that. Quite simply, I'd probably forget most of what's happening in our lives at this moment if it weren't for this blog. (Almost) strangers who read this blog have actually reminded me of things I'd forgotten about that happened in my own life, to me because they read this blog. It's scary, people. (Not the strangers, how much I forget and how quickly I do so.) I blame some of it on the immediacy of our culture - we take in so much information during 24 hours it's wondrous to me that we don't all need 12 hours of sleep to compensate each night.

For instance, right now, Knox is playing with his toys behind me and talking to himself about chickens, and cats, and trains, and unless I take a picture of it and post it on this blog I probably won't remember what this is like. This blog is like my digital baby book for Knox and Hayes. (I do keep real ones too.) But it's also a marriage book. And a life book.

Here's what I'll forget about from the Blog Famine of 2012-13 if I don't post about it here:

DECEMBER

Melissa graduated from UT Tyler in mid-December with her Master's in Business Administration. Knox was sick.

Christmas Eve morning in Graham.

About two months post-Christmas Judson proposed to Elizabeth... so Koby and I are getting a brother in law and Knox and Hayes are getting an UNCLE!

Christmas Eve in Throckmorton - Knox was not sick and we discovered just how much he will do for attention.

Hayes' first Christmas.

White Christmas Day in Bryson.

Day after Christmas in Austin.

JANUARY

Melissa and I on New Year's Eve day at her studio apartment in Deep Ellum. She will kill me for putting this on the blog but isn't she pretty without makeup?

Married friends Clay and Belinda in this picture - Baby Maybelin is here too but not many people knew that yet!

Koby and I ate dinner with Clay and Belinda, then went back to Melissa's apartment and watched movies. I fell asleep before 11:00 pm. Happy New Year.

On New Year's Day we flew to Vegas. I think this is the first night - I'm by the Fountains at the Bellagio.

Our hotel/casino in Vegas where we lost about $25 on the slot machines. Apparently we know nothing about gambling.

Back in Bryson. Knox has the flu in this picture, but we don't know it yet.

Can't you tell? Also, I don't know why I let him wear that shirt.

Playing hooky from school. Not really. Knox had both types of the flu (A and B) and I got it too, so we had to stay home for a few days.

FEBRUARY

I forced this mural activity upon my son to make self-proclaimed world's cutest Valentine cards.

Knox ate an Oreo.

MARCH

A week before Spring Break, Knox came down with strep throat and an ear infection. The Friday before Spring Break we found out Hayes had RSV at his four months checkup (a few hours after this photo was taken). Koby and I both got a 12 hour stomach flu on the Monday of Spring Break. It was a weird few weeks.