Landon's Test Resuts

After waiting 6.5 weeks the Geneticist finally called us with Landon's test results. They are positive for "Non-Cardiac VLCAD." Which is both good and bad news in itself. It's bad news b/c he does have the disorder, but it is good news b/c he has the mildest and non fatal "version".

The Geneticist says that his kind of VLCAD gets better as he gets older, we will continue with the same routine we are on. Which is feeding Landon every 3 hours, taking meds 3X a day, and switching between nursing and his special formula recipe (that I have to make in a blender...not convienent). Neither Landon nor I will get any good amount of sleep until he is 6 months old :o( We will continue to wake him up and feed him every 3 hours until then. Once he hits 6 months old he can go the number of hours for how old he is w/o eating...So 6 months= 6 hours, 7 months= 7 hours, etc. The Geneticist said their main worry with the type of the disorder Landon has is for him to avoid breaking down his own fat, and having his blood sugar drop.

Landon is not allowed to go to Daycare until after the completion of next Winter. They want to keep him away from all the crud that gets passed around daycare, and also b/c if he gets a stomach virus or diarhea and it lasts more than 6 hours he will have to be Dehydration.

That is all that I know so far besides once he gets on solid food we will all be eating a lower in fat, heart healthy diet which he will require for the rest of his life, but it is manageable. I am still trying to slowly wrap my brain around it and all the financial stuff that might come with it. If I said I wasn't upset about it or haven't cried since talking to the Geneticist yesterday afternoon, I would be lying. I was really hoping for both of us to finally be able to get some sleep, and now it will be 3.5 more months until then. We can do this though, I know we can.

Professional Pictures

The Professional Pictures that Scott and I's wedding photographer, Matt Mrozek, took of Landon and I are now online at Pictage. Here is the web address b/c I know you are dying to see how adorable my son and I are :o) Seriously, I think they came out great and I already ordered some for our house, and I may share with my MIL and Scott's Grandma...maybe, they really are precious pictures.

Web Address: www.pictage.com/633268

We have a Chuckler

Landon has started the beginings of laughing and chuckling! When he thinks something is funny he makes a little chuckle noise, only once but it is still there, and smiles really big. It is the cutest thing b/c when he chuckles his chest does the sort of "hiccup" thing that hapens when us adults are laughing really hard. I am so excited, he has the cutest laugh...I wish I could find a way to share it with everyone...maybe you will all just have to come and visit and see for yourself :o)

Dallas Trip

Mommy and I went to Dallas March 17-22 to visit her family and a few friends. We had a really good time and kept very busy. I was able to meet lots of people, and we can't wait to go back and visit again. Although we had fun we are happy to be back at home with Daddy, Zach, Boomer and Schwepps. Here are some pictures from our trip. Mommy also had her and Daddy's wedding photographer take pictures of me while we were there as well. Funny story is that they decided to do the "naked baby pictures" and when they were done and Mommy picked me up, I peed all over her arm :o) So be on the look out for the link to the professional pictures when Matt puts them up for Mommy.


Hanging out w/ Susie at the Park...Like my new hat? I kept knocking it off and Mommy kept putting it back on.

Hanging out w/ Mommy at the park.

Giving Aunt Amy practice for when she has her baby this summer!

Mommy, Me, Uncle Aaron (he'll be 13 in April!), and Aunt Amy. Uncle Travis showed up later, but we didn't get a picture with him. He's 16 and barely shorter than Granpa.

Traveling and meeting all these people is hard work. Mommy caught me taking a nap in my new bouncy chair. I loved this bouncy chair so much that Mommy had to check it on the plane and bring it home.

This is me after taking our professional pictures with Matt. I was ready to head to to dinner, but Mommy and everyone else took much longer.

This is Mommy and me on the airplane. Everyone commented on how good I was. I slept the entire time on both flights in my infant carrier. The Yorkie puppy in the row behind us on the way back made WAY more noise than I did.

I turned 2 months old while we were in Dallas...so Mommy took my picture with my new stickers that just stick to my shirt and she takes a picture! Much easier than drwing out on paper and such!

Uncle Aaron holding me for the first time. Mommy says he sat there frozen b/c he was so scared he would drop me.

This is me with Granpa. We arrived on St. Patrick's Day so this was my outfit! Granpa was funny and would hold me more than anyone else :o)

2 months old!

Landon is officially 2 months old today! On Monday at his 2 month well check he weighed 11 lbs 15.5 ounces, and is 23 inches long! The pedi says he looks great :o) We are just still waiting on his skin biopsy results to find out if he has this disorder or not. It has been 5 weeks and I am starting to get irritated that we don't know anything yet.

In other news Landon and I are in Dallas visiting my family and lots of friends! We are having a blast and will have lots of pictures to share when we get home. Also Scott & I's wedding photographer took pictures of us yesterday...I am very excited to see how they turn out :o) I think that we are going to head to bed, we are both exhausted.

Car Wreck & Catching Up

Yeup thar's right we got rear-ended in my 2008 VW Jetta. We were going to Phoenix to a really good friend's baby shower, but needless to say we didn't make it :o( There was a jack knifed 18 wheeler that had traffic slowed down on th highway ahead of us. We slowed down, but the lady behind us who had been tailgaiting us for at least 10 miles and talking on her cell phone did not. She hit us going about 45 mph. She did try to swerve ( towards the other lane of traffic, not into the dirt...bright one I'm telling you), so she only got part of the back bumper and the Right quarter panel. She also happened to hit the side Landon was on. He was sound asleep, and it scared the crap out of him...literally. He pooped himself so bad it was between his toes, yuck. Thank God we are all mostly o.k. Both Scott and I have seatbelt marks and bruises to go with them, Scott's lower back hurts, and Landon has a few minor bruises where his shoulders impacted with the car seat. My car...well we are just praying they don't decide to total it...we had to cut pieces off the bunper in order to drive it. We already got a new car seat so Landon is fine there and I had the paramedics check us all out at the scene. I will see if I can get a copy of the pictures the insyrance adjuster will take of my car so you all can see it.

In other news Landon had his 2 month well check yesterday. He weighed 11 lbs 15.5 oz (almost 12 which was my guess) and is 23 inches long. He also recieved his 1st 2 vaccines, 1 oral and 1 shot. We have decided to follow Dr. Sear's alternative vaccine schedule so he will go back for 2 more shots at 3 months.

Landon and I are also headed to Dallas tday so my family can finally meet him, along with all the good friends we will be seeing too! We are really excited to go, and promise to take lots of pictures.

Update on Allergies

So after an exhaustive track down of out Nutritionist, we have a new formula "recipe". We have not tried it yet because we are still waiting to recieve the 2 new types of formula in the mail from the manufacturing company. I am very grateful that they are sending it to use free of charge. We will be combining 2 types of formula w/ breast milk and MCT oil. We will still be nursing every other feeding so I am happy with what we have come up with. I am just really hoping the whole mixing process of the new stuff is not as complicated as it looks to me right now. I am sure after Scott and I do it a few times, it will be cake. I am very glad also that for the time being until we get the new formula at the house I am able to nurse Landon full time. I have had to supplement with Alimentum (Hypo allergenic Formula over the counter) a few times b/c this whole formula fiasco has really screwed with my milk supply. But, we are on meds, tea, herbal supplements, etc to help with that!

Landon still has the allergy rash on his cheeks, behind his ears, under his chin, and the back of his neck. It is looking better though. The Pedi oked us to put Hydrocortisone cream on it 2X a day and then to put Cetaphil lotion on it with every diaper change in between. After putting the Cortisone on it once tonight it already looks 1000X better so I am very happy about that. I am determined to get rid of the rash before our photo's with Matt on Wednesday. Landon has his 2 month well check on Monday so I will have the Pedi look at it again then to make sure it is going away like it is supposed to be. Keep your fingers crossed that we are able to get rid of the rash, before photos!

Allergies

It's no secret that Scott and I both had food allergies growing up...hell I am still very allergic to Soy. I was really hoping thaat maybe Landon would get lucky and he would avoid them, but yet again we are not so lucky. I took him to the doctor today b/c every time I would feed him his Portagen (Rx Formula) he would break out in this horrible rash all over his face, head, scalp, ears, back of his neck, and recently it had spread to his shoulders and chest. He would also scream bloody murder for a good hour or so, only sleep with me at night and not in his bed..well come to find out after meeting with the Pedi today that he is in fact very allergic to this formula. I can't say that I am surprised...I voiced my concerns to the Geneticist when we saw him, but he kind of blew me off about it b/c Landon had no outward signs...BUT the first ingredient in the formula is Corn Syrup Solids...well I was VERY allergic to Corn Syrup when I was little, and the formula also has soy in it...again I am still very much allergic to Soy. So we are kind of at a stand still with things for now. I am waiting on the Pedi to call me back and let me know which formula we will be using now...and he has to get ahold of the Geneticist to find out, but he did promise me that he would get back to me by the end of the day. I am secretly hoping they will just let us breast feed...but I highly doubt it. I am wondering if they will put him on Neutrmagen which is the formula I had to be on when I was a baby...it is also Rx so I doubt we will be getting away from that and the expense of it. I honestly don't care though as long as Landon is no longer in pain or itching or has this horrible rash/hives. My poor sweet baby boy, has been through WAY to much in his short 7 weeks.

On a positive note the Pedi did agree with our Alternative vaccination schedule. We will be using Dr. Sear's vaccine schedule and he said it looked like a good one and he had no problem using it, so I am relieved and happy about that. Landon starts his shots on Monday at his 2 month appt.

Air Show

Davis-Monthan AFB had an air show this weekend for base personnel and military families only. Well, since Scott's dad retired from the Air Force his mom can get us on base, and does frequently. So we took Zach and Landon and we had a blast. I had never been to an air show so it was a new experience for me as well. Landon some how slept through the entire thing...even when the F-22 took off right in front of us and then continued up, completely vertical...did some fancy cool rolls (Scott knows the technical terms for them), and then did a 10G turn at about 1000 feet. It was really neat to watch and very loud...Landon would squirm but never woke up!Here are some pictures from the show.

Zach in front of an A-10.

Landon & Mommy in front of an A-10.

Landon compared to the Gatlin Gun on the front of an A-10 (Daddy's favorite plane is an A-10, can you tell?)

Mommy in front of an F-22...the newest plane the AF has (according to Scott who knows all this stuff)

Mommy and Landon in front of an F-22.

Scootching

So yesterday morning I went in to get Landon out of his crib, and this is what I found:

It was absolutely hillarious. We have had Landon sleeping in a changing table pad that we placed in his crib. We did this on reccomendation of our Doulah, Carol, b/c he would not sleep in the crib. Well with the changing table pad in there we have no porblem most nights b/c it makes him feel enclosed. Well, I always place him at the top of the pad under the mobile and the "head" of the crib. In his sleep Landon scootched all the way down the changing table pad and ended up where you see him...with his feet touching the other end of the crib, and his head and shoulders being the only things left on the pad. I was laughing so hard..the mischevious look on his face only added to the hillarity!

Until I was a Mother...

Until I was a Mother,

I never truly understood

the miracle of life...

like how a hand could be so tiny

and how a cheek could feel so soft

to my kisses...

and how a little head

could smell so good

and feel so warm against my face.

Until I was a mother,

I never truly realized

that a tiny baby

could fill my heart with so much love.



-Lee Franklin

Landon's Baptism

Landon was baptised at our house on Saturday February 28. We had all of our family in town, and lots of out of town family and friends. We really enjoyed having everyone come and celebrate such a special occasion with us. Pastor Hook, of our new church here in Arizona baptised him and did such a wonderful job! Landon's God Father is a really good and long time friend of Scott's from College, whom I have become really good friends with too, Gary Hyde. And his God Mother is my sister, Amy although she wasn't able to make it b/c she lives in Dallas. We chose to have him baptised at our house instead of waiting until April after RSV season is over to have it done at church. With everything that we have been through with him and the possibility of him having this rare genetic disorder we decided to have him baptised sooner rather than later. So here are some pictures from Saturday!

Landon with his God Father Gary!

Landon actually getting baptised by Pastor Hook.

The closest to a complete group shot that we captured. We are missing a few from here though.

Hanging out with Daddy. He loves to look over Daddy's shoulder b/c he can see everything since Daddy is tall.

Definately not a special occasion at our house w/o cake.

Proud Parents watching the baptism.

Hanging out with Aunt Patti is always alot of fun.

Landon always stretches all the way out whenever he is sitting with Great Grandma, I am glad we were able tog et a picture of it.

We have a smiler!

Landon is officially a smiler now!! I am so excited, he is so cute when he smiles! He has been smiling for about a week and a half, but they were mostly accidental smiles. On Friday though he was smiling at everything in the right context, and socially too! He smiled at me, Scott, Carol (our Doulah), Boomer, everyone. It was so great...I love to see him smile! Now I just have to try to catch it in a picture to show all of you :o)