Mullican Milestones

Way behind!

2011-11-09T14:22:00.001-06:00

Man am I way behind on the blog! Tony gave me the responsibility to update it and I have fallen behind big time!

A lot has happened since the last post!

FIRST

Maddox turned 6!

Birthday Breakfast

Birthday outfit

He wanted to have a Phineas and Ferb Birthday Party!

Where's Perry?

We searched for him in the median in front of our house

We found PERRY!

Then we headed inside to be mummified!

Phineas and Ferb like to rock out....so we had a air guitar rock concert!

Some of the rockstars!

Opening presents

The cake! Made by Amanda Smith

She is very talented!

The Hermit Crab

Maddox wanted a hermit crab for his birthday and MeMa took him to pick one out.

Maddox had a great 6th birthday. We enjoyed having his friends and family over to help celebrate Maddox!

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SECOND

CASTS ROUND 3

Maddox walking in with his casts on for the last time (this year anyway!)

Getting the casts cut off!

Measuring to see progress.

His right measured at 10 & 20

and the left measured at 10 & 18

He started off at -10 on both sides!

Walking for the first time in a while without casts. He asked me if we could put new casts on because he didn't like walking without them. After putting on his shoes and braces he really didn't like it!

Walking out with shoes and braces!

We have seen some progress since the casts have come off. Our goal was to see more heel strikes, and we have! Please pray we continue to see progress. Also, we will be heading to Gillette, MN on February 28 & 29 for further testing. We will do 2 days of testing and see if Maddox is a candidate for the Rhizatomy.

After we got Bubba's braces off we went to the park to play with some friends from church. This is the only picture I got!

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THIRD

CHESTER'S PARTY BARN

with MeMa

We had a lot of fun in the petting zoo, corn maze, and picking out a pumpkin to take home.

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THEN

HALLOWEEN

Went to Chick-fil-a the Tuesday before Halloween and made crafts.

They both made a bat and a pumpkin!

Halloween night we went to Trunk or Treat at church.

Maddox was Batman and Grayson was a rocket.

Grayson and Kylan

Maddox and Logan

Maddox and Aunt Katy

The rocket crashed!

He was not feeling well that night and hasn't felt well since.

Grayson has a MRSA infection on his ankle. This is his 2nd infection in the last 3 months. They are really scary because you don't know what they are going to do next.

Please pray for us for wisdom. We need guidance on what to do. Should we change doctors? What can we do to rid Grayson's little body of this nasty infection. Please join us in prayer for clear answers from our Might God.

Thank you for taking the time to read this long blog! Any suggestions with Grayson would be greatly appreciated!

Casts - Round 2

2011-10-11T21:58:00.000-05:00

Today marks Day 1 of Round 2. Maddox was very brave today when they cut off his casts. We had warned him that the machine was VERY loud. I showed him a video on YouTube beforehand and he cried during it but not one tear was shed today!

Just a small sample of how loud the machine was. This video doesn't come close to the actual loudness!

Plugging his ears!

Even little brother that it was loud!

Double Team. The great techs taking off the VERY STINKY casts!

Measuring to see if any improvement in the first week and there WAS!!!!

His measurements before casts were -8 and -10. Today they were 0 and 2. Good news!

One down!

Black on the right....

Orange on the left!!!

He kept sayings,"GO COWBOYS!!!"

He isn't brainwashed or anything.

GO POKES!

Maddox and Grayson were both very good again today and both got a toy.

The ride out. Sweet brothers!

Tony asked how many rounds of casts we were down for. The PT said 3 to 4 but more than likely just 3 because they are already seeing improvement. Please continue to pray that the casts are working and "lengthening" his muscles. Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support of our BRAVE Maddox Chaska!

Cast Art

2011-10-06T09:43:00.001-05:00

Maddox has a lot of people that are aweful sweet to him. His aunt Katy came over in the afternoon after he got his casts and she had made him Sesame Street character cupcakes. She made them from scratch!

Maddox asked Katy about drawing on his casts for him, so she drew Woody on one cast and Buzz on the other one. She did an amazing job and Maddox loves them. It is just too bad that they will get cut off next Tuesday.

So far Maddox hasn't really had any discomfort or pain with the casts. He amazes me the way that he just adapts and goes with it. I would be pretty frustrated and annoyed with having casts on both of my legs, but Maddox just goes on living life like normal and hasn't complained at all.

CASTS - Round 1

2011-10-04T15:41:00.003-05:00

Today was the big day! Maddox got his first round of casts. On the way there, Tony asked him what he thought about getting casts. He said he didn't know what he felt. After talking a little bit he said, "I am a little scared." Can't blame him. None of us really knew what to think about this. He is such an inspiration to me!

Walking in with Dad without casts!

The PT explaining to him what they were going to do. Maddox got a little teary eyed because he didn't understand something she said, but we soon settled that.

Putting on the special "sock". They then asked what color casts he wanted. He said, "I want green on my left leg and blue on my right foot." They were so impressed that he already knew right and left. (We work on that everyday in school!)

One on! He was helping them by holding the supplies.

He was showing them how strong he was. These nurses were so good with him!

Blue on the right and green on the left!

He was so brave they let him pick a prize!

Brave Boy!!!

Being wheeled out. Little brother was good too! They both were escorted all the way to the car by the wheelchair.

After he got the casts, we went to show Great Grandma and Grandpa. He wasn't allowed to walk for 2 hours after he got the casts so they would set. He got to ride in the stroller. Little Brother did not know what to think about that. He wanted to ride!

In the elevator with my boy! Love this boy so much!

Please continue to pray for our sweet Maddox Chaska. We want these casts to do what they are supposed to do-lengthen his muscles. Also, we have started the process of getting an appointment to see a team of doctors in Minnesota. This takes 2-3 weeks. Please pray that the doctors will be able to see what treatment we need to do to help our precious boy!

Thank you for all of your support!

Oklahoma History Center

2011-10-03T17:05:00.017-05:00

Tomorrow is the big day! Maddox has his first round of serial casting. We will do this every Tuesday in the month of October.

So, today we went to Home School day at the Oklahoma History Center. We had a fun time looking at everything.

This is a picture of Maddox with William Pogue. He is my grandmother's cousin. Maddox got to have lunch with him at NASA in May and Maddox got to see the last take off in Florida. He is also related to John Harrington (Chickasaw Indian Astronaut)

As you can see from most of the pictures, if you aren't quick you don't get a good picture (especially with little brother-he does not sit still long!)

Botox - Round 2

2011-09-20T15:55:00.008-05:00

Today Maddox had his second round of Botox injections. They did the hamstrings, calves, and the muscle near his hip. He had more amnesia medicine but it was still very painful for him, but thankfully he does not remember any of it. Unfortunately, Mom and Dad do remember all of it!! Just like last time, he asked the doctor when he was going to get his shots after he had already had them. He is doing well this evening. We will go back in 10 days and do the serial casting.

There are several options that doctor told us about today. First is a Rhizotomy. A rhizotomy (pronounced /raɪˈzɒtɵmi/ry-zot-ə-mee) is a term chiefly referring to a neurosurgicalprocedure that selectively severs problematic nerve roots in the spinal cord, most often to relieve the symptoms ofneuromuscular conditions such as spasticdiplegia and other forms of spastic cerebral palsy^[1].

The other thing would be to insert a Baclofen pump. They would have to go in surgically and insert the pump.

The pump is inserted under the covering of the abdominal muscles while the patient is under a general anesthetic. A small catheter is inserted through a needle into the spinal fluid and is threaded upward toward the neck. The catheter is tunneled under the skin to the abdomen and is connected to the pump. The pump is filled with the drug baclofen and is programmed by a computer to continuously release a

specified dose that is determined by the physician.

The pumps last about 7 years. The doctor said we would decide when Maddox was 17 or 18 if we wanted to keep the pump or go without.

We can also decide to do more diagnostic testing to figure out exactly what would be best for Maddox. He mentioned sending us to Minnesota for this.

Please join us in prayer seeking the Father as to what would be best for our sweet boy Maddox Chaska. He is such a trooper and very brave throughout it all!

Round 2

2011-09-01T10:15:00.004-05:00

We begin Round 2 of Botox treatments on September 20th. This time they are going to do several new things. The first round Maddox just received shots in his hamstrings. For Round 2 he is going to receive Botox injections in his hamstrings and in his calfs. They will inject both right and left. Then after the shots the doctor wants to start serial casting. They will place both of Maddox's feet in cast much like you would wear if you broke your foot. He will wear that cast for a week and then we will come back in and they will cut it off, reposition his foot, and then recast for another week. This will be a 4 cast process for just over a month. The goal is to let the muscle relax and atrophe a little so that it can begin to stretch and allow him to get his heels down when he walks. Each time they reposition his foot they will put it in a farther stretched position.

Maddox has also started Kindergarten at our Homeschool taught by Kim. Kim is now a full time stay at home mom/teacher. She was extremely blessed to work with and for Jostens for such a long time.

Throw the Deuces

2011-06-13T08:51:00.003-05:00

Grayson is going to be 2 years old on July 22nd and he is as awnry as ever. He loves to get in destructo mode. Tony left for Super Summer on Saturday and we had made cupcakes for him to take and that morning we went in to find Grayson enjoying them all by himself. We are in for an exciting 2nd year with boy number 2.

Small Steps

2011-06-10T17:08:00.004-05:00

It has been close to 3 weeks now since Maddox received his first botox treatments. Watching everyday we haven't really seen much difference, but he has since been to therapy twice and the therapist seems to think the shots are making a difference. Both times we have taken Maddox to therapy she feels like his muscles are looser to stretch and to the feel. She keeps encouraging us to be patient.

Maddox has also been taking swim lessons for the last two weeks. He loves to look over at his supporters (ma, grandma, papa, mom, dad) and give the thumbs up when he does something as he would say AWESOME!

A family in our church kindly gave us a blue sided pool that we have setup in the backyard and it is perfect for Maddox and Grayson to splash around in and have a lot of fun.

We are constantly reminded that God is Good!

Firsts are not fun

2011-05-17T15:48:00.002-05:00

Today was Maddox's first injections of botox. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for our family! Today went well but it was not a lot of fun. Maddox had a total of 6 injetions into his legs. They put botox into his hamstrings and phenol acohol into some of the nerves. They gave him a sedative to help relax him, but they did not put him to sleep. He got very loopy and was saying lots of things that didn't make any sense.

When they began giving him the injections he was still aware enough to know that it hurt and wasn't very happy about it. Kim and I and two of the nurses had to hold him down while the Dr. administered the injections. They were all very kind and very gentle with him. Maddox was not very happy about it and was very loud and vocal about it.

As a parent it was very stressful and heartbreaking to watch and I thought we will never be able to get him back here to do this again. 20 minutes later though after calming down and letting the sedative wear off he asked us when he was going to get the shots. He didn't remember a thing! It was like the doctor had pulled out his Men in Black neuralizer and totally erased the memory.

The rest of the day he has been doing great except for his legs hurting a little. He has not been interested in walking very much and is still a little unstable with his balance so we have just been resting.

Now we just wait to see what effect the medicine will have on his legs. We are praying that he will gain more mobility and balance.

2 Years

2011-05-09T10:44:00.003-05:00

It has now been 2 years since Maddox had his Chiari Decompression surgery. It has been a wild and crazy two years for him medically. Since the surgery we saw little to no change in the problems with his balance and muscles of his lower body. Thank God that the surgery will help prevent other problems in the future.

Since the surgery was not effective the way that is should have been if Chiari was the only problem; we went back to square one trying to figure out what was the underlying problem. As we went back to pediatric neurologist, the pediatriac neuro surgeon, and to the muscle movement specialist all they could do was guess at what it might be. The surgeon finally told us that he had done everything that he could possibly do and unless we needed or wanted more surgery that he was at the end of how he could help.

The muscle movement specialist then categorized Maddox as having a generalized form of dystonia because it seemed to fit and then gave us medication that would help if it were dopa responsive. That medication was ineffective and the neurologist and specialist put there heads together and had us try a string of several different medications to see if one of them would help.

One medication they had us try was extremely strong (artane) and even though we were only taking a 1/4 of a teaspoon it made Maddox extremely mean and violent. We didn't stay on that medicine more than a week. When Kim went to pick it up the pharmasict didn't want to give it to her because it said on the bottle NOT for Children.

We had come to a point about 3 months ago where we felt like we were just dragging our feet and going nowhere with helping Maddox. Therapy was getting harder and harder each time to get his legs streched out and was only helping him for a very short time. Then our therapist insisted that we go meet with Dr. Wright who is a pediatric physiatrist or Rehabilitation Medicine Physician at the Children's Center in Bethany. He is well known for his Spasticity Management techniques which is something that Maddox struggles with.

So in March we went and met with Dr. Wright and he began to explain all of the things in Maddox's lower body that were causing him trouble, and he said I feel like the main problem begins with the hamstrings and that is what is causing the other problems. He then said I don't know where they were getting Dystonia because i don't see anything with him that would give me that indication.

That is then when he said something that we had never heard before. He said I think Maddox has Cerebral Palsy and that it is a brain injury that was caused at birth and it is sending a mixed or confused signal to the hamstrings. He then went on to explain that the other professionals are all brilliant minds, but that they probably dismissed CP because the MRI of his brain is clear. Dr. Wright works with 100's of CP patients and he said that he has many CP kids that have clear MRI's and they can't explain why. He said that if Maddox were to walk in with 9 other kids who all had CP that he would peg him everytime for being a CP patient. He encouraged us to go back to our other doctors and ask them to look at it again with this angle in mind. They all agreed that made a lot of sense and fit perfectly with his symptoms. Our neurologist told us she had dismissed that idea only because of the clean MRI scan.

What that all means now is that we will be doing progressive treatments and therapy to help keep his hamstrings loose enough until around Maddox being 7 so that he can then have surgery to lengthen those muscles. On May 17th we will begin the first round of botox shots- that will be injected directly into his hamstrings to help the muscles to relax. We have already started doing long stretching where he wears knee immobilizers for 20 to 30 minutes at a time and sits straight up in a 90 degree. Hopefully this will help us to delay surgery. The longer we can wait for surgery the less the chance of having to come back and do the surgery again later on.

I know a lot of you have been wondering whats been going on with Maddox and I know we haven't updated this blog in a very long time. Sorry about that!

We ask that you pray that through this all that God be Glorified through our family and through Maddox.

The Mullicans

Grayson is 1!

2010-07-25T08:02:00.007-05:00

Sorry it has been forever since we have updated our blog! A lot of things have happened but I am just going to blog about our Baby Boy for now!

Hard to believe but our sweet Grayson Takoda turned one Thursday. I took him and Maddox to get their pictures taken. It is hard to pick only a few poses when your kids are photogenic.

I think he looks just like his Uncle Kyle when he was little.

Thanks to Martha and Gabby for the cute Navy/White striped outfit!

I had to get a picture of them standing so we could see how big they are getting.

I love babies in overalls but these overalls are special. Tony, Daniel, Katy, Kristy, Andrew, Amy and Maddox have all had their picture in these. Now Grayson! They have been around a long time.

I saw this cute onesie at Target and had to get it. It has been in Grayson's closet for at least 6 months. Now he gets to wear it! He looked absolutely adorable in it.

20 weeks!

2009-12-11T08:37:00.001-06:00

It is hard to believe but Grayson is 20 weeks old!

Some Christmas Pictures

2009-12-11T08:31:00.003-06:00

Grayson's first picture with Santa.

These are just a few pictures we have taken so far. There will be more to come!

Maddox has a bad day!

2009-11-30T16:26:00.004-06:00

Today Maddox went to Dr. Stecklow's office for his 4 year well child check. Mommy missed the original date which was 2 days after his birthday. Maddox didn't want to get shots, but he was being a trooper.

Daddy was reading Maddox a book. Maddox decided he wanted to get down and talk to Baby Brother. (Maddox was wearing only socks.) He lost his balance/footing and fell face first onto the tile floor. He didn't even have enough time to react and put his hands down. He busted his lip open. Maddox cried for awhile, and Grayson was very concerned. Maddox looked at Grayson and said, "Big Brother is OK Grayson." Such a sweet relationship they are going to have!

When Dr. Stecklow came in, he said he heard him fall in the other room. He said he thought for sure he was going to have to sew him up. But thankfully we didn't have to.

Shots and a busted lip do not make for a good day for a 4 year old!

First Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T16:20:00.005-06:00

Grayson's first Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving. We started out at Tony's Uncle Steve's house for a wonderful lunch then headed to Yukon.

Grayson and Brooke on their first Thanksgiving

Sweet Grayson

Pretty Brooke

We have so much to be thankful for this year!

A little behind!

2009-11-30T16:15:00.006-06:00

Grayson's first bath in the sink.

He usually takes a shower with Mommy or Daddy.

He loved the sink!

18 weeks old!

I missed a week or two on the Wednesday photos.

Grayson is now rolling over!

He also has a double ear infection we found out about the day before Thanksgiving.

Maddox also go some new braces! There fit to his feet better than than the first pair.

Checking out the braces

Reading a book while Ms Sandy does some stretching

George LIVE

2009-11-13T08:24:00.003-06:00

Maddox LOVES George!

Notice his George shirt and he is carrying George!

He insisted on taking his George because he wanted to see his brother!

This was Maddox during the whole show! Kids were talking all around us but he never took his eyes off the stage. After the show, we told him he did a great job and thanked him for not talking. He asked us who was talking. He didn't even notice all the kids talking around us!

16 weeks old!

2009-11-13T08:22:00.003-06:00

Also since last time, Grayson turned 16 weeks old!

Big Brother wanted a picture with Baby Brother.

They love each other so much!

Sorry!

2009-11-13T08:17:00.002-06:00

It has been a while since I have posted! A lot has happend since the last post. Maddox had strep throat and H1N1. He is finally doing better. His last round of antibiotics is today! YAY! Tony had surgery on his sinuses. He has been staying at my parent's house, which makes it hard in the mornings and at nights with just me and the boys! Tony is still in a little pain but seems to be doing a little better. Please continue to pray for everyone in our family! Thanks!

15 weeks old!

2009-11-04T18:01:00.002-06:00

First Wagon Ride

2009-11-02T13:36:00.002-06:00

Today the weather is BEAUTIFUL!

So I took the boys on a wagon ride.

Grayson's first and he loved it!

Grayson's Dedication

2009-11-02T13:28:00.003-06:00

Grayson was dedicated on Sunday morning at church.

Big Brother and Grayson before the service. Maddox said he wanted to be there for the dedication, but right before it started he wanted to go back to class.

SWEET boy!

WaPa and Grayson

WaPa and Ma said that Daddy used to suck on two fingers when he was this age.

Our sweet friend Rebecca Grace Tallbear born 2 days after Grayson

Amos, Stacie, Rebecca, Mommy, Daddy and Grayson during the service.

WaPa presenting us a gift and a certificate.

14 weeks

2009-10-28T23:39:00.004-05:00

Grayson is getting so big! He tries to sit up by himself and it won't be long until he is rolling over!

Sweet boys!

2009-10-28T23:37:00.001-05:00

Tonight after church, Maddox brought me these beautiful roses! He said, "I love you Mommy! Thank you for being such a good Mommy!" I am sure Daddy told him what to say, but it melted my heart! I love my boys!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-28T23:33:00.003-05:00

Happy Fall!

Our sweet Grayson with the scarecrow on MeMa's front porch.

Maddox the Dragon and Grayson the Giraffe in MeMa's garden.

Grayson wasn't too sure about this!

Maddox was belly laughing the whole time.

He is a cute guy!

Grayson still not sure about all this!

New Braces

2009-10-24T11:37:00.003-05:00

Maddox got "casted" for new braces on Friday. The first pair of braces were not tight enough and his feet kept slipping.

This is the cast of the left foot.

It doesn't go on your knee silly boy!

Mommy helping Miss Sandy with casting the right foot. It was a pretty interesting process. First, a special sock. Then Miss Sandy taped the yellow thing to his leg. We had to make sure it was in the exact place. Then she wet the "cast" and wrapped it around his leg. She said it would feel really warm on his leg when it was ready to be cut off. Then she took the scissors and cut the cast off. The yellow thing had a groove she followed with the scissors so she wouldn't cut Maddox. Finally, we had the cast.

The finished product of his right foot!

Thunder Party

2009-10-24T10:46:00.005-05:00

When we asked Maddox what he wanted to do for his birthday, he couldn't decide. We tried and tried to think of something fun. My Dad had vouchers for tickets to the Thunder game. We asked Maddox if he would like to have a Thunder birthday and he said yes. We had enough tickets for Maddox to invite 4 friends and their Moms and Dads. Of course MeMa and Pops were there too!

We called Melissa (my Dad's representative for his season tickets) and asked her if there was any way we could bring a cake and meet before the game for cake. She wasn't sure, but she called me back and said she had a room and she would escort us so we could bring a cake. We met her at the Will Call window at 6 and she escorted us to a really nice new suite that was decorated for our little party. There were Thunder fingers, pom pons, and banners for all the kids. We bought the party guests Thunder shirts for the party favor. They looked so cute at the game with their matching shirts.

Party time!

We also had a surprise visit from some Thunder Girls.

The whole party with the Thunder Girls.

Alli, Joshua, Maddox, Derek and Braydon

Cake time! Thank you MeMa for making us a YUMMY cake!

Opening presents

At the game.

Alli, Maddox, Braydon, and Derek

Alli was really excited! She kept yelling, "Go Basketball! You can do it!" Love that girl!

Braydon with his Thunder finger.

#1 Birthday Boy

Derek enjoying the game.

The Nelsons

Angela (and Lindsay), Braydon, and John

Maddox and Braydon with the Thunder banner.

Mommy and the 4 year old Birthday Boy

Grayson taking it all.

We had so much fun with all of our friends at the game. We were so thankful it all worked out and everyone got to come. Thank you Melissa for setting up a wonderful pre-game party!

Praying Mantis

2009-10-24T10:39:00.003-05:00

I came home the other day and found a praying mantis on our front door. I thought Maddox would like to keep it in his cool bug "hotel".

Notice her large tail.

Notice the not so large tail.

Notice the "sack" in the top left corner of the"hotel". This would explain why the tail is not so large. Our praying mantis is going to be a Mommy and Maddox's Mommy is not very excited about this. I read on the internet that there can be between 100 and 200 babies per sack! It has been fun having this praying mantis, but she and her babies need to go!

13 weeks! 3 months on the 22nd!

2009-10-21T23:38:00.000-05:00

13 weeks!

Had to add another one. This is Grayson in the swing in the nursery at church.

Maddox is 4 and Grayson is 13 weeks (3 months tomorrow)

2009-10-21T23:21:00.002-05:00

Good Morning Birthday Boy!

Very excited about his new scooter and helmet!

He told me this is AWESOME!

He also told me, "This works great!"

We got donuts for his birthday breakfast. He told everyone in the donut shop, "Today is my birthday." A man asked him if he was 3 and he said yes. I had to tell him he was 4. He looked at me and said, "I am 4 now?" I told him yes and he looked at the man and said, "I am 4!"

Ma's special birthday cookie she makes for everyone. She made this for Maddox and his friends in Mission Friends.

His friends in Mission Friends.

Alli, Noel, Abigail, and Ben

I went to get him from Mission Friends and he had these teeth in.

He thought he was very scary!

After church we went and had ice cream at Braum's with Great Grandma, Great PaPa, Pops, Mommy, Daddy, and Grayson

He was sad because he couldn't have Sprite with his ice cream.

Grayson - the party pooper

Daddy and Maddox having birthday ice cream.

Daddy got him another present

A new Superman hat!

Mommy and Maddox with his new hat

Eating Grayson's toes and leaving chocolate on his socks.

Birthday kisses from baby brother.

Talking about things.

Grandma and PaPa hanging out after ice cream.

It is hard to believe but Maddox is now 4! We have been through a lot with our sweet boy and we wouldn't change a thing. Maddox is a huge blessing to us and we love him VERY MUCH!

12 Weeks Old

2009-10-15T00:54:00.001-05:00

wearing Big Brother's Hat

2009-10-15T00:51:00.001-05:00

This hat is one of Mommy's favorites.

When Maddox wore this hat at Grayson's age, it fit perfectly. It is too big for Grayson but still very cute on him!

First Thunder Game 2009

2009-10-15T00:45:00.000-05:00

Family picture in Loud City

Watching the game with Daddy

Maddox and Mommy

Grayson and Mommy

Maddox and Daddy

A few firsts for Grayson

2009-10-15T00:37:00.000-05:00

First time to Sunday School

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Talking to Ms Susan Lombard

First Thunder Game

Monday, October 12, 2009

In Loud City

First time in the big bath with big brother.

Tuesday, Octobe 13, 2009

(Don't worry - Mom was close by. Big Brother was not holding him very long. He is slippery when wet!)

Maddox's Root Canals

2009-10-15T00:28:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, Maddox had to have 2 root canals.

He did not want to be up so early!

Now he is ready to go!

Watching toons before it is time to leave.

Grayson waiting in the waiting room.

After the meds.

Still waiting......

In recovery.

Recovering at home with Baby Brother watching toons.

11 weeks old!

2009-10-07T07:29:00.001-05:00

SHOTS

2009-10-06T21:49:00.001-05:00

Grayson got his first round of shots today and he did NOT like it!

He weighed 13 lbs and 6 oz and

was 24 inches long.

His weight was in the 95th percentile, his length was 80th percentile and his head circumference was in the 75th percentile.

Dr. Stecklow said we have a healthy baby boy!

Heavy Sleeper

2009-10-06T21:43:00.001-05:00

Monday morning Grayson tried to wake up big brother but it didn't work. He laid on him, cried in his ear, and we even took pictures but big brother would not wake up. He is one heavy sleeper!

10 weeks old

2009-09-30T22:57:00.000-05:00

9 weeks old

2009-09-30T22:55:00.001-05:00

September 22 - GOOD DAY!

2009-09-22T21:06:00.000-05:00

Today was a good day!

Grayson celebrated 2 months!

Maddox got his braces to help his feet.

Ms Sandy making sure the braces fit correctly.

Helping Ms Sandy.

Maddox also got new shoes. He is supposed to wear his braces everyday. The braces are going to help Maddox not to have flat feet. His feet roll in and the bone in the middle of his foot is weight bearing and the braces will help.

Then we went to Chick-fil-A for dinner. It was family night and they were giving away prizes and Maddox won a backpack full of Crayola stuff - markers, crayons, marker stampers, and side walk chalk.

WHAT AN EXCITING DAY!

Grayson has Thrush

2009-09-22T21:00:00.000-05:00

Right now Grayson has thrush. Basically, thrush is a yeast infection in his mouth. The medicine we use turns his mouth purple.

Big Brother trying to comfort a crying Baby Brother.

See his purple bottom lip?

Purple lips!

Purple tongue

Purple mouth

Grayson 8 Weeks Old

2009-09-17T13:37:00.001-05:00

Grayson 7 weeks old

2009-09-09T22:25:00.001-05:00

Monkey Jumping on the Bed

2009-09-09T22:13:00.000-05:00

As a kid you are always told not to jump on the bed, but Ms. Sandy (Maddox's therapist) said it is good for Maddox to help him loosen his muscles in his legs. We are trying to do lots of different things to help Maddox loosen all of the tightness he has.

Maddox Therapy

2009-09-09T22:07:00.000-05:00

Maddox is doing therapy with Ms Sandy every Friday morning.

Daddy reading a book to Maddox while Ms Sandy tries to "lengthen" Maddox's muscles.

On the exercise ball with Ms Sandy

On the exercise ball - Daddy puts toys on the floor and Maddox has to reach and get them. This helps him stretch his trunk muscles.

On the bridge - fixing to jump off

The landing!

6 Weeks

2009-09-02T10:10:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe but Grayson is 6 weeks old today!

Please pray for Mommy! I start back to work next week.

Brooke Riley Sheline

2009-09-02T10:04:00.000-05:00

We went and met our new cousin Brooke Riley Sheline. She was born August 31, 2009. She is beautiful!

Great-Grandma with her 4 Great-Grandchildren

Derek, Brooke, Grayson, & Maddox

After we met Brooke, we took her Big Brother Derek with us for the afternoon. We went to the park to have some fun and run off some energy.

They were on an adventure

Resting on the bench.

First time in Crib

2009-09-02T09:57:00.000-05:00

Grayson's first time in his crib.

Grayson has been sleeping in his crib. We put him down between 10 and 11 and he wakes up at 5:00am on the dot to eat. He is doing great in his crib.

Therapy

2009-09-02T09:48:00.000-05:00

Maddox started Physical Therapy a few weeks ago. We go every Friday morning. The therapist, Ms Sandy, said all of his muscles are really tight. She did a lot of exercises with him and gave us exercises to do at home.

Walking on the bridge.

When Maddox walks his heels don't hit the ground. Ms Sandy said when he walks on the bridge he slows down a lot and he has few heel strikes when he walks.

Please pray therapy will help Maddox with his muscles.

Talking Boys

2009-09-02T09:42:00.000-05:00

The boys hanging out on Maddox's bed

Smiling for the camera

"What did you say to Big Brother?" Maddox asks him all the time

The boys talking

5 weeks old!

2009-08-26T10:25:00.000-05:00

Grayson is 5 weeks old!

Big Brother wanted a picture with Baby Brother.

Lake Fun

2009-08-26T10:11:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we went to Lake Tenkilller with MeMa, Pops, Aunt DoDe, Cousin Emmy, and Cousin Brooks. We had so much fun!

Brooks and Maddox throwing rocks into the lake from the ramp.

Maddox loves throwing rocks in the water.

Buddies and cousins!

Grayson in a life jacket and on a boat for the first time. It happened to be his one month birthday.

Don't know if the life jacket would have been much good if he would have fallen in.

On the tube - MeMa, Brooks and Maddox

Sleeping on the boat. He slept the whole time. He loved the roar of the motor and the rocking motion of the waves.

In the cabin hanging out.

Brave Maddox swimming by himself in the lake.

Aunt DoDe and Brooks having fun on the back of the boat.

MeMa and Maddox on the back of the boat.

Maddox and Pops swimming

Sleepy Maddox on the boat. We were heading back to put the boat up.

Grayson awake on the boat!

Fort Worth

2009-08-26T09:58:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday we went for our 3 month check up for Maddox is Fort Worth. Dr. Honeycutt said he is doing great. We go back in November.

Maddox at Risky's BBQ in downtown Ft. Worth. There were lots of animal heads on the wall. He loved it!

Waiting for our food

My three boys!

Mommy with baby Grayson

On the way home we stopped at Cabella's. A very fun store.

Maddox in a tent

Maddox shooting in the Safari.

Watch out!

Maddox in a kyack

Trip to Shawnee

2009-08-26T09:49:00.001-05:00

Grayson's first longer road trip was to Shawnee to meet Ma's side of the family.

Meeting Aunt Mary

Meeting Aunt Shirley and Great Grandpa

Meeting Aunt Carolyn

Maddox having story time with Ma

Maddox and Cousin Catherine beating on the drum Uncle Harold bought at a garage sale.

Grayson with Great Grandpa

4 weeks old

2009-08-26T09:45:00.000-05:00

Grayson 4 weeks old!

Sorry it is so late!

Wednesday

2009-08-13T10:39:00.001-05:00

Our first time at Wednesday night church

Rebecca Grace and Grayson Takoda

Born 2 days apart and 3 pounds different!

Welcome Home WaPa, Ma, Katy, Kristy, Andrew, and Amy

Grayson's first trip to WaPa and Ma's house

Hello Aunt Amy!

Maddox was so excited to see Amy! When we were waiting on them to get home, Maddox said, "When I see the van, I am going to say, 'Yea! Amy is home!' We are going to play in her room and then get a glass of ice water." He was so ready to see all of them!

Ma holding Grayson

SWEET boy!

Can't stop taking pictures of him!

What a blessing!

Watch out for the bear!

Grayson and WaPa

Grayson wasn't very happy!

3 weeks old

2009-08-13T10:37:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe but Grayson is 3 weeks old!

Here is our Wednesday photo - one day late!

Big Brother, Little Brother

2009-08-09T16:19:00.000-05:00

Today was Grayson's first day to go to church.

Maddox wore his Big Brother shirt and

Grayson wore his Little Brother shirt.

Great PaPa gave the offertory prayer, Angelica and Heather sang beautifully, and Eli Sheldon brought the message. It was a great day.

Maddox and Grayson in the car at church

Then we went to eat lunch with Great PaPa and Great Grandma at Dot Wo.

The boys hanging out on the couch at home

Sweet boys! Don't know what I would do without them!

2009-08-05T17:52:00.000-05:00

Some more pictures of my boys!

Just hanging out

Precious Baby!

Taking it all in

Maddox and MeMa lined up all of his cars. He was so proud.

They are still like that today.

Grayson getting lots of kisses from Big Brother and MeMa.

Bedtime books with MeMa.

Maddox thinks he needs 3 books read to him every night.

Daddy and Grayson

Grayson's first trip to MeMa and Pops' house

Maddox with a grasshopper. He showed the grasshopper around the whole house and told him about everything. I heard him saying, "This is my room. These are my cars. These are my other toys. This is baby's room. This is baby's car seat. This is my Mommy. This is our couch. This is my Spiderman table." Then he put the grasshopper in one of the chairs and left him there the rest of the night.

Daddy brought Maddox home a new pool. He was Daddy's helper as he aired it up.

The pool.

Big Brother present from the Greiners.

Week 2 Wednesday photo.

Checking it all out

2 weeks old!

Grayson Pictures

2009-07-31T21:09:00.000-05:00

It is so hard not to take pictures of my precious little one, especially if his eyes are open.

Close up! These are my favorite!

Tummy time

Sweet boy!

Content with the pacifier

I couldn't resist!

It just amazes me that this is comfortable to him!

Priceless! Love his hands and feet!

First Stroller Ride

2009-07-31T20:57:00.000-05:00

Last night we took our first stroll in the stroller. We went to the elementary school not too far from the house and let Big Brother play on the playground. It was nice to get outside for a little while. Grayson really enjoyed riding in the stroller.

Grayson asleep in the stroller at the playground. The walk really wore him out!

Maddox climbing the "rocks" at the playground.

This is as high as he wanted to go. He did a great job all by himself!

Grayson taking it all in.

Close up of sweetness!

Hey Mommy! So good to see him climbing around all by himself.

Climbing up the slide. A lot less fear than he used to have.

The ride home. The playground wore him out.

Maddox enjoying the ride. He was disappointed at first that he didn't get to ride in a stroller but we had to remind him that he was the Big Brother and he could walk. On the way home he was too tired to walk home so he got a ride.

One Week Old

2009-07-29T17:55:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe but Grayson is one week old today!

I am going to try and take a picture of him every Wednesday to see how he changes every week.

Last night was a good night for him. We went to bed around 1:00am and he slept until 6:30am. I think he might be figuring out day and night.

Sweet boy - one week old!

The three boys hanging out watching toons.

Big Brother holding Baby Brother

Maddox loves holding Grayson.

Our first Wednesday picture.

First Bath

2009-07-27T16:21:00.000-05:00

Grayson's first bath at home. Ma was over and Maddox helped her. He didn't like it at first, but towards the end loved it.

After his bath, he decided to wake up and show us his eyes. We don't get to see them very often. It is always fun to see them. They are beautiful.

Day #3 at home

2009-07-27T13:05:00.001-05:00

This morning our boys were hanging out in their underwear and I had to take a picture.

Are they not precious!?

This makes Maddox look so big!

In the elevator on our way to see Dr. Stecklow. He said everything looks great and he is a big healthy boy! He is down to 8 lbs 9 oz but it won't be long until he is back at his birth weight.

Maddox playing in the waiting room. Glad we are there for Grayson and not him. We did get a prescription to start some physical therapy. Hopefully we will be starting that soon!

He wanted to play in the rain when we got home.

"Come play with me Mommy and Daddy."

Splashing in the puddles.

This is fun!

We are so blessed with these 2 precious boys. They are so much fun!

First Morning at home

2009-07-25T19:22:00.000-05:00

Our sweet boys sleeping on Mommy and Daddy's bed.

Doesn't get much better than this!

Grayson Takoda is here!

2009-07-25T19:10:00.000-05:00

Grayson Takoda is here. He arrived at 8:07 am on July 22nd. He weighed 9 lbs and 4 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long.

Maddox is a good big brother. He loves to hold him and kiss him!

We are home now and everyone is doing great. We are all tired, but trying to get all the rest we can. We will add pictures often.

2009-07-21T21:10:00.000-05:00

Tonight before going to MeMa and Pops' house.

SILLY BOY!

He loves his rain boots!

Splashing in the mud!

Bath in the pool

Last Days as the Only Child

2009-07-21T20:57:00.001-05:00

We are less than 12 hours away of meeting boy #2! We are all really excited. The last two days have been Maddox days. He has had so much fun!

INCREDIBLE PIZZA

With the Dinosaur

Watch out Tiger Woods!

Move over Michael Jordan

Train Conductor

AT THE PARK

Hey Mom!

Our Little Monkey!

Look Mom! I did it all by myself!

Our Little Camper

Little Bro

2009-07-19T08:01:00.001-05:00

We are all very excited this Wednesday begins a whole new leg of our adventure. Boy #2 will be born at 7:30 am. Big brother Maddox is very excited to meet his new brother. Maddox is doing very well and one thing that I have really noticed since the surgery is that he no longer wakes up in the middle of the night screaming because of the pressure. Praise God!

2009-06-24T08:27:00.000-05:00

The last few weeks have been crazy. Tony was at Super Summer, then the next week he was preparing for Falls Creek, and now he is at Falls Creek. This is the first time I haven't been there in over 10 years. Kind of sad but not really because it is so HOT! Maddox, my Mom, and I are going to visit Thursday night and we will stay the night and spend Friday there.

I go to the doctor tomorrow for a check up on Baby Boy #2. We are on the schedule to have him Wednesday, July 22nd at 7:30am. We are all very excited and ready for him to be here. It is hard to believe it is less than one month until we get to meet him. We still don't have a name! Hopefully we can get that settled before he arrives.

Maddox is continuing to do very well. He still has balance issues, but we are praying that will progress over time. He is your typical 3 1/2 year old boy. All over the place and looking for trouble. He is a good boy most of the time. We are still trying to get him completely potty trained. He has been wearing underwear for the last 3 weeks, and has kept them dry but can't seem not to poop in them. We are working on that. Please continue to pray for our sweet boy. We don't know what we would do without him. He is truly a blessing and a gift from God!