Sleep

Today was a better day. Ryder slept 4 straight hours, woke up for a few minutes then slept another 4 hours. It was awesome! It's amazing how much of a difference sleep makes. All around, I think we had a better day. Ryder even played for a little bit before his day of doctor appointments. 

He shoots. 

And he scores! 

I'm outta here. 

Time to mow this carpet. 

Working on his mow lines. 

We had to kill some time inbetween doctor appointments so we walked the mall for a couple of hours. 

Mom is here over the next few days to help me regain my sanity and sleep. I adore having her around. Life is just sweeter with her in it and I thank God for every cancer-free day she lives! It's been exactly one year since she was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer and what a year it has been. From surgery to chemo to more surgeries, it's been a tough year (to say the least) but amidst the storm I've seen God move and work in ways I never thought possible. And for that, I am oh so grateful! 

This Casting Crowns song has been my life's anthem over the past year. I would encourage anyone going through a storm to meditate on the words of this song entitled "I will praise you in this storm". 

And I'll praise You in this storm

And I will lift my hands

For You are who You are

No matter where I am

And every tear I've cried

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

And though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

July 2013

January 2014

Sleep Tease

Ryder slept 8 wonderful hours on Saturday night. It was awesome. It was also short lived. Last night was another long night. We thought we did a pretty good job of wearing him out a Disneyland but he was still up from 12am to 1am and 3am to 7am. It may or may not seem like a long time but 4 minutes in the middle of the night is a long time let alone 4 hours! It's brutal not getting any sleep. I think I got more sleep when Ryder was a newborn. I'm pretty sure I caught some winks while I pumped every 3 hours for 7 months straight!! 

In addition to Ryder not sleeping, he's fussing all. Of. The. Time. It's a combination of hungry, thirsty, tired, frustration and pain. I'm sure of it. I just wish I could make it all better. I really wish I could. 

We visited Ryder's cousins today. He hasn't seen them since before his surgery. Unfortunately, he spent a lot of time crying while visiting. Even cousin Noah thought it was weird. Yes, Ryder's still wearing his pajamas. I thought by him wearing pj's, it may inspire him to sleep. It didn't. 

And so we keep on keeping....I think we've still got a few dance moves left in us! 

Don't just wait for the storm to pass. Learn to dance in the rain! 

A Day of "Normal"

Today was our first day of "normalcy" since Ryder's surgeries. After 8 hours of sleep (Yes! 8 glorious hours) we got up, did some house chores then spent the day celebrating with Mickey Mouse! We even randomly ran into a couple of people we knew! It was fun to get out and socialize for a bit. 

Ryder's still struggling with eating/drinking fluids but we are making progress. Baby steps, but still steps forward. It was such a beautiful day outside and it felt so great to have things back to "normal" (as normal as they can be....all things considered). We have a few follow up doctor appointments this week. Please pray they all go well and that Ryder's recovery continues. I've glanced inside his mouth a few times and to be honest, it kinda scares me. So many stitches and zig-zags. Praying it's healing as normal as possible so Ryder's food intake can increase and we no longer have to limit what he can/cannot eat. I can't want for the day when I see my superhero eating regular kid food! We're almost there baby boy! Keep on swimming! 

Bug's land! 

Ferris Wheel (I think I'm officially afraid of heights). 

Gotta love the green army men from Toy Story! 

I think he's still sleep deprived. 

Pixar Parade. 

Ryder's favorite - it's a small world! 

And he's....OUT! 

We're Home!

We were discharged late afternoon after Ryder started taking liquids via syringe.  Hooray! We get to go home! 

One last hospital stroll before being discharged. 

Outside CHOC loading up our car....again.  

Discharge take two! 

It was so nice to come home, take baths/ showers and sleep in our own beds......even if it was short lived.

Right after we bathed and laid him down, Ryder fell asleep from 8pm to 10pm last night.  Unfortunately, two hours later he woke up and was up the entire night! I mean the. Entire. Night. He didn't go back to sleep until 7am this morning. Thankfully he was in a semi-good mood and insisted on playing from 10pm to 3am. We had to get creative from 3am to 7am. When the sun started to come up around 5am we took him for a walk outside. No joke. Our neighbors must think we are crazy (we explained things in the morning). 

Playing at 2am.

The sleep deprivation is setting in. 

Thankfully Ryder slept from 7am to noon but we are all still SO exhausted. Physically, mentally and emotionally!  My poor husband hasn't even had the chance to unpack since returning from his 24 hr trip to the east coast (which was supposed to be a 7 day business trip). Ryder's taking in some liquids, but not nearly as much as he should be getting. We think he's maybe had 2oz since being home, which isn't a good sign. Things need to pick up so we don't end up back at CHOC for hydration. Please pray for continued recovery, liquid intake to increase and for sleep, sleep and more sleep! 

P. S. If one more person asks me "are you tired?" I might be too tired to refrain from punching them in the face. Why would you even ask me that?!

Ok. Small rant complete. I feel better. 

Answered Prayers!

Ryder's doing much better today! He's taken a few ounces of liquids (a huge step) and is even standing up in his crib handing out kisses! 

We can see our superhero starting to return and are so happy to see him interacting with toys, people and us! 

He's still sleeping a lot (only in our arms of course) but I'm pretty sure his poor little body is just exhausted from this roller coaster we've been riding over the past couple of weeks. 

Toys! 

Bubbles! 

He loves this car! 

Balloons! 

Still waiting to see the doctor so we can get this discharge process started. We are SO ready to go home!! Thank you for all of your love and prayers! They've been heard and are being answered!