Shout Out

Congratulations to Gus, Michelle, and big sister Liza on the birth of Jake on Tuesday March 31st. He was 8 lbs. 2 oz. and 21 inches. Elias can't wait to meet you!

Shout Out

Congratulations to Ken & Carla on the birth of their daughter Abigail. Check out Ken's blog for pictures and story!

Also, stay tuned for my post on our first night away from Little Man. We had a wonderful time and stayed in a sweet suite!

Shout out!

Congratulations to Jon and Meera on the birth of their baby boy Nathan. He was born on March 10, 2009 at 2:50 pm. He is 20.5" long and has a full head head of hair!

Shout out

Congratulations to Carrie, Matt and big sisters Anna and Katie on the birth of their little boy, Michael Matthew. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 10 oz. Elias can't wait for another new buddy!

Asher Clyde

Asher Clyde is getting SO BIG! He's grown a foot (well maybe not quite that much) since we've seen him. Elias misses you!


Also, don't worry people, I have plenty of pictures from our feast, as my niece Sophie called it. Oh and by the way, my turkey rocked.

Pictures of Gabe Michael

Rachel and Oren's little sweetheart!

Shout out!

Rachel and Oren are pleased to announce the birth of their bouncing baby boy Gabe (Gabriel) Michael, 7 lbs. 6 oz. 20 inches long. We can't wait to meet him and

Elias is so happy to have a new friend!

Pictures to follow...

Happy Birthday Shout Out!

I have to say Happy Birthday to my Aunt Crisanne! I sure hope I get to see you soon! Love, Elias.

Shout out!

Happy Birthday Carrie! I'll save you the heartache and leave out your age. Also, I know this picture is almost a year old but it's the only one I have! You look a little different now, expecting number three! Have a great birthday.

Patent Ductus Arteriousus

Sounds like a new fangled thing for your furnace right, but it's not. It is actually a congenital heart defect that we just found out the Little Man has. Before we get into the basics I'll tell you he is right as rain. Thankfully our wonderful pediatrician heard a possible murmur and sent us to a pediatric cardiologist who than diagnosed patent ductus arteriousus (PDA). Elias has had no outward signs of PDA besides the murmur. He is very active, very happy and very healthy. Actually he probably inherited it from Gramma Bette who also has PDA but did not learn about until she was in her 30's. That doesn't mean I of course didn't freak out, cry and have a breakdown (all outside the presence of Little Man).

So here's the deal. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a heart problem that occurs soon after birth in some babies. In PDA, there is an abnormal circulation of blood between two of the major arteries near the heart. Before birth, the two major arteries—the aorta and the pulmonary artery—are normally connected by a blood vessel called the ductus arteriosus, which is an essential part of the fetal circulation. After birth, the vessel is supposed to close within a few days as part of the normal changes occurring in the baby's circulation. In some babies, however, the ductus arteriosus remains open (patent). This opening allows blood to flow directly from the aorta into the pulmonary artery, which can put a strain on the heart and increase the blood pressure in the lung arteries.

In normal birth-weight infants such as Elias the larger a PDA is, the greater the amount of extra blood that passes through the lungs. A small PDA might not cause any problems (such as in our case), whereas a larger PDA is likely to cause problems. PDA can increase the risk of bacterial endocarditis that is why Gramma Bette has to take antibiotics before going to the dentist. Bacterial endocarditis is an infection of the lining of the heart, valves, or arteries. In the case of PDA, the increased flow of blood can irritate the lining of the pulmonary artery where the PDA connects. This irritation makes it easier for bacteria in the bloodstream to collect and grow there.
A large PDA that is allowed to remain open for an extended period of time can cause the heart to enlarge and to have to work harder. Also, fluid can build up in the lungs.

If Elias' PDA does not close up on it's own he will likely have to have a procedure when he is one or two. The procedure is an out-patient catheter procedure explained next. Catheters are thin, flexible tubes used in a procedure called cardiac catheterization (KATH-e-ter-i-ZA-shun). Catheter-based procedures are often used to close PDAs in infants or children who are large enough to have the procedure. Your child's doctor may refer to the procedure as "transcatheter device closure." The procedure is sometimes done on small PDAs to prevent the risk of bacterial endocarditis. During the procedure, your child will be sedated or given general anesthesia so he or she will sleep and not feel any discomfort. The doctor will place a catheter in a large blood vessel in the upper thigh (groin) and guide it to your child's heart. A small metal coil or other blocking device is passed up through the catheter and placed in the ductus arteriosus to block blood flow through the vessel. Catheter-based procedures: Do not require the child's chest to be opened; Let the child recover quickly; Closing a PDA using a catheter is often done on an outpatient basis. You will most likely be able to take your child home the same day the procedure is done. Complications of catheter-based procedures are rare and short term. They can include bleeding, infection, and movement of the blocking device from where it was placed. If you want even more info this is a great website to check it out.

So that's the deal. I'm still taking it all in. Every time I look at my beautiful baby boy I see a healthy, happy baby and I am extremely thankful for that. It seems with or without the procedure Elias should be fine. Still, until you're a parent you can never realize the feeling of helplessness when your child is sick or diagnosed with an illness. In my heart I know he'll be fine. That doesn't mean for the next several months/years I won't be watching Elias like a hawk and I probably will need Valium if he has the procedure. However I do remind myself everyday how truly lucky and thankful we are to have him and for him to be as healthy as he is. Elias is the absolute best thing that I have ever done in my life. I love him more than anything and always will.

P.S. Shout out to Asher Clyde who got his first tooth at 4 1/2 months! Way to go Big Man! Elias is still waiting for his to poke through.

Asher Clyde

Asher Clyde is getting so big! Can't wait to meet you in six weeks. We're going to have so much fun!

Asher Lee

New photos of Asher Lee,

my cousin Nathan and his wife Jackie's little boy. Too cute!

Happy Bronze Anniversary

I have to give a shout out to Mom and Dad. Today is their 8th wedding anniversary. As Mom said to Dad this morning, "Eight years ago today, as of this moment, I was getting my hair done and you were sleeping." Dad said, "Not much has changed." Well I have to disagree because I think I'm a big change. I think Mom and Dad agree though that it has been the best change in their whole lives. I love you Mom and Dad. Peace out...Elias.

Shout Out

Congrats to my cousin Nathan and his wife Jackie on the birth of their baby boy. He was 8 lbs 1 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. Tall like his Dad! Pictures and a name (when they decide on one) to follow! Also, congrats to my Aunt Mary on becoming a Gramma, Gramma Bette welcomes you to the club!

UPDATE: Nathan and Jackie named him Asher Lee. The Nolan family welcomes you!

Oh what a night

Sorry I haven't posted in almost a week, egad, but it's been busy. It all started last Thursday night. First, and obviously best, Elias rolled over. You seriously gotta love those video monitors. If it wasn't for our video monitor we would have never seen it.

I was up getting ready for bed, Gramma Bette and Brad were downstairs finishing watching the news. I always like to take a peek at Elias on the monitor before I go to bed and as I turned it on I saw him trying to make his way from his back to his stomach. Well lo and behold he turned over. I rushed downstairs to show Gramma and Dad and then he rolled back over to his back.

Well, that was the last Mom and Dad got to see of the rolling. Gramma Bette said he did it twice (from stomach to back) while playing the next day. Brad is bound and determined to get it on video to show everyone but Elias is not having that. We do have a lot of video of him being tickled and laughing his head off, which I'll post shortly.

But wait, our night was not yet complete. Enter Hero Dog and Daddy.

The scene, around 11:00 p.m., I'm asleep and Brad is watching TV in bed. Marbie starts barking so Brad goes to investigate. He doesn't see anything so gives Marbs a pat and tells him to go back to bed. Just as soon as Brad is back in bed Marbie starts barking again. I hear him and ask what he's barking at. Brad again goes to investigate. Next thing I know, Brad comes running upstairs and tells me to stay put there is a very drunk man trying to get into our house.

Here's the scenerio, when Brad went downstairs the second time (thanks to Hero Dog's continued barking) he opened the door and saw a drunk guy at the bottom of our porch. Brad told him to leave or he'd call the police. Well he didn't. Brad called the police, told Gramma Bette to stay in her room and came upstairs to get our trusty baseball bat that is kept under the bed. When he got back downstairs the man was now trying to open the door. That's when Hero Daddy yelled, "If you try to come in this door I'll bash you *&^#$ head in." The drunk man replied, "But this is my house."

I then called 911 and the Brookfield Police were already outside. Thankfully the drunk was not a mean drunk, just a sloppy drunk. The police spoke with him and tried again to tell him that our house was not his house. They finally found a phone number and got him home.

After a very scary night, we all had a good laugh about how truly wasted this guy was. I mean, there is a guy screaming at you with a baseball bat and you still think it's your place. To make matters even worse it looks as though he might have driven. The next morning I got up and behind my truck, parked the WRONG way on our one-way street, was an unfamiliar car half on the grass. It was gone by the time I returned but assumptions point to our drunk guy.

To end this VERY long post I have to give a shout out to my 13 year-old Hero Dog who barked and barked to make sure we knew something was wrong and my wonderful Hero Husband/Dad who protected his family like no other. Big props and kisses to you both...Carly

Shout Out

Congratulations to Derek & Molly and big brother Aidan on welcoming Liam Patrick.

Born May 1, 2008. May Day Baby!

Shout Out

Shout out to Heather, Mike & big brother Charlie! They welcomed Lucille "Lucy" Marjorie on Saturday, March 8, 2008. She weighed 8lbs., 3 oz. and was 19 inches long. Congratulations on your new little girl!