Good news....no, GREAT news!

For those of you keeping up with Steve on Mom's Caring Bridge Site, you already know.  For those of you not in the know, Steve had a great appointment with his oncologist, Dr. Fichtel, today.

It was just a few short weeks ago that all appointments - neuro, oncology, cardio, etc - were giving Steve a few months, even a few weeks to live with the reoccurance of his brain tumor. Well, as I like to say "IN YO' FACE BRAIN TUMOR!"  Steve is reacting to the Avastin!  His tumor is shrinking and those weeks and months are increasing by the day.  Hip hip hooray!  God is GOOD!

His brain has sustained injury and trauma with the previously rapid growth of the tumor so he has lost more word finding, can be pretty unsteady on his feet and is tired from both the treatment and his brain working in overdrive from the damage.  Mom and Steve are trying to find their "new normal" but looks like we'll have the time to do it.  We are so grateful to have more time with our sweet Grandy.  We are overjoyed.

You can read my mom's beautiful words at:  www.caringbridge.org/visit/SteveBoswell

Omphalocele Update

In the midst of a crazy Fiesta week in San Antonio, we loaded up the car and headed to Houston for Harper's check up at TCH.  We had been told in the fall that we would plan for surgery this summer based on her stomach and how it was looking.  The muscles are still splaying and when she strains, her stomach has a bulge that pops out - kind of like a giant, vertical hernia in the middle of her stomach.  We had also been given the directions to either put her back in PT or keep her in gymnastics but to focus on strengthening her abdomen and core muscles.  So we've kept up with the gymnastics which Harps loves but I don't see a future as the next Gabby Douglas - the Squirrel has her mother's unfortunate lack of coordination.   

You can imagine our surprise and happiness when Dr. Cass said he was very pleased with how Harper was looking and wanted to see her back in the fall - no need for surgery this summer!  Dr. Cass said her abdominal muscles were looking much better than they were earlier this year and he'd like to hold off a little longer to see what kind of natural repair her body can do on it's own before taking medical action.  He does still feel like she'll need surgery at some point but the better she looks on her own, the less invasive the surgery will need to be.  There can still be some improvement to those core muscles and surgery will eventually help.  He also thinks we can help the look of her stomach from a cosmetic standpoint.  But overall, he was pleased and you can only imagine how happy we were to not have to worry about surgery over the summer with all we have going on with Steve.  

On a side note, Harper's parents are idiots.  Harris stayed overnight with Honey and Grandy so that we could give our full attention to what we thought would be a pre-surgery appointment.  While Harper loves her little brother and the constant audience he provides for her, she loves having her mom and dad all to herself every now and again.  We went out to dinner the night before her appointment in Houston.  Walking back to the car, the Squirrel was holding both of our hands, wanting to be swung in between us.  Apparently, our swinging must have been a little too exciting because by the time we got to the car, she was screaming in pain and complaining about her arm hurting.  

After a night in pain and tears spent in a hotel room with a two year old, we thought we had done some serious damage and were feeling like pretty crappy parents.  Thankfully we had our TCH appointment and asked if they could take a look.  They booked us in with ortho, sent us over for x-rays and added about 2 hours on to our appointment and trip back home.  Well, low and behold, while the x-rays were being taken, she miraculously healed.  The crying stopped and by the time the doctor from ortho came to see us, we had a Squirrel that was laughing and singing.  Apparently, we gave her nursemaid's elbow - we pulled her elbow out of joint. Awesome.  When they took her x-rays, her arm was being twisted to get different shots and they managed to accidentally pop her arm back in socket.

So moral of the story - don't swing your kids around by their arms!  And if you're going to, be sure you have an appointment somewhere on the campus of Texas Children's Hospital the next day.  

T-Rex is Real

We have a very exciting announcement from the Meabon household!  Some of you might have already guessed by seeing pictures on Instagram but......we have a new member of the Meabon household!  That's right folks, introducing Meabon #3 otherwise known as T-Rex Meabon.

T-Rex came to us on Harper's birthday last year, a gift from Uncle Brentie.  He was immediately loved but over the last 9 months, he has truly becoming our third child.  In Harper's mind, T-Rex is as alive as her little brother.  This hit me when she finished an art project a few weeks ago, jumped down from her chair, ran into her room, climbed up on the bed, held it out in front of her little friend and said, "Look T-Rex, look what I made!"  As evidenced by the pictures on my iPhone, T-Rex is alive and breathing and accompanies us most places.

T-Rex rides in the car

and dances in the car

He frolics in the bluebonnets

and swings on the swings at the park.

T-Rex has great dental hygiene.

He joins us for every meal and even has a designated seat at the breakfast table.

Sometimes he shares Harper's meal,

but Harper always makes sure he has his favorite foods:  meat, ham and coffee.

T-Rex loves the Zoo.

(I love the look on the face of the photobomber in this one)

And what a lucky guy to have a great tour guide!

He comes along on visits to the doctor.

but he loves being at home to snuggle with Rooney

and occasionally gets dressed up like a baby or a princess.

Like with anyone else, T-Rex does have to attend to the calls of nature.

We've recently discovered he's quite the lady's man!

But I think most of all, T-Rex likes being with his best buds, Harper,  Bruce and Tinkle Bunny.

An honor to just be nominated...

I feel like the runner up to Miss America.  Either that or one of the Oscar nominees that didn't win the prize.  But as they say "it was an honor to just be nominated".  I turned in an essay for a show called Listen to Your Mother.  The show highlights writers and their essays on motherhood in celebration of Mother's Day.  I was selected to audition for the show but my piece didn't get selected.

However, I did get to attend the amazing show last night in Austin with two of my close friends from childhood, Stephanie and Samantha.  And wouldn't you know I totally forgot to get a picture of the three of us!  Adelle, you'd think you taught us better!

So, in celebration of LTYM Austin, here was my submission:

Unplanned Lessons of Motherhood

by Brooke Meabon

Three years ago, I left the business world to take up my new job as a stay-at-home mom.  I took the parenting classes, read the books, listened to the nurses and doctors in the hospital and did everything I could to educate myself for the little lives that I would be responsible for.  However, there are lessons I’ve learned over the last three years that my education, my career, the parenting classes or books never told me about. I’d like to share with you some of these nuggets of knowledge in hopes that you will be well equipped as I clearly was not:

-      With a crying baby in the background, a full conversation can take place between a couple at 3am using only elbow thrusts, grunts and moans of exhaustion.

 
-          If you thought your boobs were big during your pregnancy, within days of having a baby, your boobs will grow to freakishly gargantuan proportions that no one ever warns you about.  On the other hand, about two weeks after weaning that baby, you will wake up one morning and - BAM! - they will be two sizes smaller than they ever were and look like a shriveled noodle with a meatball hanging at the end.
 
-          Did you know that Thomas the Tank Engine stickers can go anywhere to add a little decorating pizazz?  Leather car seats, antique dining room tables, your computer screen, the walls of your master bedroom – seriously, anywhere!
 
-          A tutu, swimming goggles and cowboy boots can be worn as an outfit every day and night for 5 weeks, only being taken off for bathing purposes.
 
-          Now, I owe my husband an apology about this one since I have previously given him a hard time.  Men’s obsession with touching their junk is ingrained in their being.  I go to change my sweet baby boy’s diaper and the second that sucker opens up, his hands are pawing at that little penis like a Harlem Globetrotter spinning a basketball.
 
-          As a mother, things will come out of your mouth that you never dreamed possible.  Things like:
“Don’t hit your brother in the head with the pumpkin”
“Yes, Daddy is going tinkle on the big girl potty” and
“Sweetie, put it down.  That’s dog doo-doo, not a candy bar.”
 
-          The longest dinosaur name is micropachycephalosaurus.  The beloved brontosaurus we learned about as children no longer exists.  I am now a walking dinosaur encyclopedia.  And this is not information that you should breakout at your husband’s holiday dinner party. I speak from experience; it’s a quick way to end a conversation with his boss. 
 
-          In times of emergency, an unused tampon can entertain a toddler in a doctor’s office for approximately 14 minutes.
 
-          Breast milk tastes like sugar.  Okay, no I’m not using it to churn butter or flavoring my coffee in the morning with a squeeze of the boob but who hasn’t taken a little taste in the delirium of the newborn days and thought, “Wow, this is surprisingly delicious!”
 
-          Speaking of breast milk, are you aware that you can shoot it out of your nipple across the room?  The next time you’re in an argument with your husband, try it.  The look on his face will be priceless.
 
-          If you have a crying baby in a grocery store and lose a pacifier, you automatically turn into a Navy Seal on a mission to track down and capture the missing unit.
 
-          Goldfish crackers can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner….by a grown woman.
 
-          There are some days that you might feel the urge to hide in your closet with a log of salami and a bottle of red wine.  DO NOT give into this urge.  Otherwise, remember that bottle of nail polish you left on the bathroom counter?  Your cat’s eyebrows will now be a trendy shade of OPI’s Cha-Ching Cherry. 
 
-          Fun Fact:  Did you know that teething was invented by Satan?  He also invented potty training.
 
-          Showering, bathing and using the restroom under strict surveillance while having every imperfection of your body pointed out (“Mommy, your bottom is as big as the sun!”) – it becomes somewhat endearing and when you don’t have a pair of eyes staring you down as the Calgone takes you away, you suddenly feel a little lonely.
 
-          After you receive a call from your child’s preschool saying they are in the office bleeding, you will quickly realize that you missed your calling to be a NASCAR driver.
 
-          In my opinion, toys that sing, light up or talk should be beaten into submission with a baseball bat.
 
-          Ladies, you might not believe me now but your husband will look sexier to you in sweats with a sleeping baby in his arms than he ever did in a tuxedo.
 
-          Some of your strongest friendships will be started with the simple question, “How old is your child?”  And friendships that are formed through the joys and trials of motherhood will become vital since you have someone that just gets it. 
 
-          You will grow to love and appreciate your own mother so much more after having children because you can finally get a glimpse of how much she loves you.
 
-          You never think the love of your first child can be duplicated, but then you have another child and realize it is multiplied with each addition.
 
-          And last, it is possible for your heart to exist outside of your chest and live in the form of a little human being.  
 

Texas Bluebonnets 2013

She was out of breath when she topped the rise,

And there lay a beautiful lake!

Dappled and bright, bloom spread in the sun.

As lovely as water could be:

And her mind found peace while she laved her heart

with bluebonnets, blue as the sea.

- Lexie Dean Robertson, Mesa Miracle

 

  

 

 

Easter 2013

Concordia Easter Egg Hunt, A visit from the Easter Bunny, Egg Hunt at the House & Church and Brunch with Honey and Grandy (still working on everyone smiling for the camera at the SAME TIME)

 

Deep Thoughts by Brooke Meabon

Sometimes I wish they made adult sized strollers and that it was socially acceptable for the kids to push adults around.


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