Stark Life

Zoorassic Park!

2015-07-09T21:38:00.000-06:00

The kids went to the Zoo today for Grandma Day (every Thursday is Grandma Day where the kids go with Grandma or to Grandma's all day). I went along today and it was so fun! Here are the pics:

The Zebras

Giraffes

Looking at the Zebra's and Giraffe's

It's Zoorassic Park right now, they have all the dinosaurs around the park.

The male Lions

Monkeys

Gorrilla

Baby Orangutan. He was so little and so cute! Video at the end

Elephants (video at the end)

Watching the elephants

Alligators

Some type of bird, very cool

Turtles doing their thing. lol That turtle is 450lbs!!

An owl!

Bats!

Tigers

Bears

Polar Bears

Videos

Sick Baby!

2015-06-01T21:44:00.001-06:00

It's been a long 2 months with this kiddo! He has been sick more than being well. Long story short he keeps getting sick (strep throat, croup, pneumonia) and then finishes an antibiotic and within 3 days of finishing starts a super high fluctuating fever so I take him back and he has something else. So Sunday was no different he woke up cranky but I didn't think anything of it. We got to church and he almost immediately fell asleep on me. Which is totally not him, unless he's sick.... Then he broke out with the fever. I finally went home at about 11:30 took his temp and it was 103.9. I got him in to the dr and his ears were clear, lungs sounded fine, but his throat was really red and swollen so the dr thought for sure he had strep again. The test was negative. So I went home and stayed on top of the Tylenol ibuprofen every 4 hours. We went to dinner at Tony's moms, he was pretty ok until about 7, and then he spiked a high fever again and pretty much was out of it the rest of the night there. We got home about 9:45 and at 10:30 he started having these seizure episodes and scared me! He would just act like he got struck by lightening was sort of paralyzed and acted like he had no idea who I was or where he was and he was crying like someone was hurting him real bad. So we made the decision to just take him in to the ER. There they took x-Rays of his lungs again and gave him some ibuprofen to bring his fever down. The x-Rays still showed the pneumonia. And told me the seizures were just from the fever or body temp going up rapidly. So the dr wrote me a prescription (which was wrong and another story all in itself he allergic to amox and I told the dr that so I don't know what happened. But luckily my mother in law noticed it before I gave it to him!) and sent us home. We got home about 1:15am. At 2:30 he woke up having another seizure. This time no fever at all...

And then again at 5 with a slight fever of 100.3. So I wasn't entirely convinced it was from the fever. So I took him into his pediatrician today and spent an hour brainstorming. He looked at both x-Rays and the one from the ER visit showed it looked better than the one from the first ones a few weeks ago so he said it was just taking time to clear up. His tonsils also have white pus like things in them so that indicates a virus which has to run its course. So he doesn't need an antibiotic. Then as far as the seizures they are caused from rapid temperature changes and fevers but also because Makaius has night terrors (which have gotten better since they started but he still has them) the night terrors increase sometimes with sickness especially if the child is over heated or has a fever so they will have those episodes of seizures. So we are going to watch him the next few weeks and if they don't stop or he doesn't get better then we will see a neurologist and go from there. I'm praying that he just gets better and we don't have to go there. I'm really hoping it's all clear before girls camp next week! But I know if it's not daddy will take good care of him and it will be ok.

He did not want these on at all! I don't blame him.

Sleeping after crying most of the ER visit.

Sweating profusely after his fever broke. Poor kid!

On a cute side note, Maximus refused s nap today even though he really needed one. So this is what happens when he refuses... He falls asleep after eating dinner. I have a video too but my phone won't let me upload it to blogger! So I'll have to post another day. Love these kiddos!

Let's hope to get some sleep tonight! I was up all night Makaius. And bless my mother in law. She took my kids this morning and I got to sleep a couple hours to get through the day! I hope Makaius sleeps good tonight!

How cute is he?!

2015-05-22T22:01:00.001-06:00

I took this picture this morning! I just love this boy of mine!! Even if he's a defiant 3.5 year old who won't listen and pushes my buttons to the point of breaking.

Spent some time at the mall today with mom, and let the kids ride a few of the rides. They loved it! So much that Makaius decided 4 rides weren't enough and SCREAMED his head off through the entire mall back to the car. I'm pretty sure everyone thought I was the worst mom ever, little do they know I just spent 3 dollars on those stupid rides.

Miracle Maximus Fundraiser

2015-05-17T21:00:00.001-06:00

I wanted to share why this fundraiser we are doing is so important to me and our family (warning you its kind of a long post).

I was so lost for the first 11 months of Maximus life. It was extremely hard and we were told we would probably never see another person with Goltz Syndrome. Now mind you there was and still is VERY little information out there about it so we just didn't really have anyone to turn to about it or learn of it. I was also very afraid to use the internet to research it or find info about it because the day Maximus was born we did that and I will never forget how scary and misleading it was. At 11 months I decided I was going to start a Facebook page and see if I could find someone out there that was or had experienced Goltz Syndrome. Come to find out, there was already a group! I was quickly added and I cannot tell you the relief that it brought me! I probably sat on my couch crying and reading posts and talking with others (whom I am getting very close to and are like my 2nd family now) for hours and hours. I was so excited for Tony to get home so I could tell him "guess what? We're not alone! I've found a group on Facebook and you will not believe the similarities between stories!" and "It's totally normal for Maximus to not be eating as much as we think he should be". SUCH A RELIEF. So much stress and heartache INSTANTLY gone. I couldn't wait to share with our Dr's.

That next summer we we're able to raise enough money to get to our 1st conference and research for Goltz Families and guess what? We met 20 others affected by Goltz Syndrome and their families! 20! It was the most amazing unforgettable experience. And we want to be able to go every year so Maximus can see his 2nd family and his Goltz family. Very few know the feeling of meeting others that just get it. To sit in a room for hours and just talk about all the things we've been through as parents and to know that most likely EVERY SINGLE one of you have been there done that! I will never forget the 1st conference, I was so nervous to go into a room and talk about what I was going through with Maximus, but the relief both me and Tony felt after just a few min into the conversation was just so emotional and amazing. We all shared and exchanged procedures and what works best and behavioral patterns ect. I will also never forget the 2nd conference where I got to meet another mom that had a son with Goltz Syndrome. It is extremely rare for a boy to survive the womb with this condition. When we found each other we instantly felt like sisters! We just cried and cried and just got each other. I was then able to sit down with her son (who is 15) a few times and talk with him about his life and what it was like growing up with Goltz.

Now part of doing the fundraising (which we hope to get something bigger by next year, a 5k in his name or something), is to help raise awareness about this rare syndrome to help others who find themselves in our situation not have to endure such a long time with little or no information. We also want to raise money for the NFED (National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasia's) who puts on these awesome, incredible conferences and whom also sponsors families from all over the world to get there.

Here are some top reasons we are raising money AND awareness:

1. To go to the conference every year and be with our 2nd family for a few days. I want to clarify that we don't want people to think we "need" the money. It's more for Maximus than our family as a whole.

2. Maximus has A LOT of medical stuff going on as well as daily/weekly routines to keep his skin as good as it is. I have listed some things at the bottom of this post if you care to learn/know more. We are currently seeking help in getting him on a permanent insurance because in the past when we apply he is denied, when we know he should qualify based on his medical needs. (It's very stressful)

3. We want to raise enough money each year to sponsor 2 families that need help or would love to come to the conference that have not been or cannot afford to get here. Especially our out of country friends!

4. One of the biggest reasons is to get awareness out there to Dr's and people about Goltz Syndrome. We knew very little and most of it was just what Google told us because we did not know where to go to seek more information. This is most of our Goltz families experience. We want to reach out to those with it and those that will be born with it as quickly as possible so they don't have to stress about it or feel alone for as long as we did or longer.

5. Maximus is currently on track as a 3.5 year old with the exception of speech. He is not talking well at all. We are trying to learn sign language and we would also love to put him in an outpatient speech therapy however this is not covered by insurance either. We also have an iPad for him that we can download apps onto for speech but they can get extremely expensive. We are really hoping he will eventually talk but we try whatever we can to prevent meltdowns and frustrations on both us as parents and him as far as communications. To put it in perspective, imagine going to a country where you don't know the language at all and that will tell you how frustrating it can be. So another reason for raising money is to help us and him find ways of being able to communicate with little or no meltdowns.

I cannot express the gratitude I have towards those who've donated. You have no idea the emotions I feel every time someone donates because of how much it means to me that you care. Thank you!

Some more information about Maximus:

-He's had 9 Surgeries, Tonsiladnoidectomy, Orchiectomy, Heart Cath procedure, 3 Dental surgeries, laser eye surgery, tear duct procedure, and Syndactly (finger separation). He will have more dental procedures in the future to prevent further decay. He has no enamel on his teeth so they wrap them to prevent infection. He's had one tooth removed because it could not be saved.

-He has vision issues as well. He does not see as well out of the left eye and we do not know if he will lose vision in that eye, we are trying to do some patching as well as working with the district preschool to do as much correction as possible. He is now wearing glasses and has been for about 6 months and we know that it does make a difference! This is an expense that was not covered by insurance we had to pay out of pocket.

-Daily application of Cerave lotion. This helps his skin stay moist and not dry out and crack and bleed as much.

-Applying Kenelog (aka "shake lotion") we buy this from our dermatologist and it ranges in price depending on the price of the steroid at times. We apply this a couple times a week and when he is really itchy.

-Biafine I use this on him as needed now, when he was first born and up to about 18 months of age I used it everyday to heal a wound on his head, and heal his right leg scarring and some one his back and sides. I use it only when he breaks open skin or scuffs up. This is also not covered by ANY insurance company and we pay about $150 each time we buy it.

-Bleach baths are given about 3 times a week. 1 cup of regular bleach to 1 tub of water. This helps reduce infection to the skin. Its very safe for anyone to do!

My Brave Boy

2015-01-07T19:01:00.001-07:00

This brave little boy of mine started preschool yesterday! I cannot believe he is 3 years old and has graduated from Kids On The Move and moved on to early head start.

It was an emotional day for all of us. He is going to be riding the bus to and from school but the route wasn't set up for the first day so me and Tony took him yesterday. It was really hard to leave him. He was crying and did not want us to go. But we had to be brave as well and just walk out the door and trust his teacher and aides to take care of him for the next 3 hours. It was so sad. I cried just a little. It is so hard sending them off to school for the first time! I've struggled with the emotion for the past couple weeks and tried to brave and prepare myself but it didn't make it any easier.

He did end up having fun and when we picked him up he was happy to see us!

Then today was the first bus ride to and from school! The only picture I have is of him crying and trying to go. But he was upset a little. But this little guy is so brave! Can you imagine being so small, not being able to talk, feeling safe, and then getting into a big bus and being strapped in without the two people who understand you the best! That is scary! I was so scared for him and so sad. It was everything me and Tony could do to walk away and watch him drive off and then not break down and cry. Even his brother was worried. But we got through it! And when 3:30 rolled around we sat on the couch and waited for his return! We all couldn't wait! He came home on the bus and was not crying. He was happy and we asked him if he had a good day and he said yes and it seemed to go really good!! They said he got a little sad and had a harder time at school but over all did really well. We sent a picture of me and Tony with him and I think that helped! I think it's just going to take time for all of us to adjust. But I know we will.

I just had to let you all know how proud we are of our miracle Maximus! We love him so much!

Bambino

2014-12-24T01:05:00.001-07:00

Me:

Tony:

Forgot

Me:

I need to do a major update! I promise one soon!

Bambino

2014-12-20T23:37:00.001-07:00

Tony:

Cuddling some coke?

Me:

Fishing

Tony:

Chillin with some Santas!

By the way me and my mom hand painted those Santas!

Me:

Playing in the snow!

Tony:

Can you spot him? Lol

I had tonight!

Bubble bath!

Bambino as of late...

2014-12-15T23:08:00.001-07:00

Tony:

Me:

Tony:

Me:

Tony:

Me:

By the way his teeth surgery went really well! He recovered fast! Only had 1 root canal this time, no teeth pulled. They look really good!

Tony:

Forgot!

Me:

Tony:

Me:

Tony:

Me:

That was last nights, Tony's turn tonight!

Bambino is back! Update on Maximus!

2014-12-02T23:32:00.001-07:00

Hello!

Bambino was a little late this year, got stuck in a snow storm! But he's here and having a great time! Tonight he's set up his tent and he's having s'mores, one of his favorite treats.

(Me and Tony take turns setting him up. Tonight was the 3rd night it was my turn)

Last night (2nd night) was Tony's turn

First night was my turn

I know some think it's corny to do the Elf on the shelf! But we think it's so fun. Maximus is actually loving it this year too so it's getting even more fun. I'll keep updating every few days on what Bambino is up to.

Today we went to a check up at the eye Dr for Maximus. This appointment was a little less stressful and not as heartbreaking. He did so good sitting in our laps while the Dr checked his eyes for a prescription. It takes a while to do and he was so patient and so good! He needs glasses and they will help him see so much better. So we are going to really try and get them ASAP. It's just been hard getting his insurance figured out and they are not cooperating so we're just going to have to buy them ourselves. Which is totally fine it's just so stupid how particular and stupid insurance can be. We've tried other resources as well and they are not panning out either so we're tired of jumping through hoop after hoop. It's important to get them as soon as we can so we're just going to get them!

I'm so excited to see him in them. I think he will look so handsome and smart! Even though he already does and they will just add to his personality.

We are also trying to decide where to put him as far as preschool goes. It's a longer post so maybe if I get some time tomorrow I'll go more into detail about it. As for now, I'm falling asleep writing this so I'm gonna turn in for the night!

Love to you all!

Just another cute picture of two cute brothers sledding while we were up cutting Christmas trees!

Brave

2014-11-25T23:00:00.001-07:00

I just want to take a few minutes and express grattitude to my Heavenly Father for sending me the bravest boy I know! For trusting me and my husband to take care of and love such a sweet spirit.

I want to express my feeling from the past few DR appts. Warning you it may not be pleasant to read...

Today we took him into the dermatologist for a follow up appointment because a few weeks before when we took him in he had what we thought was a papilloma. His derm removed it (from a very sensitive area, his bum) by numbing the area and snipping it off. Come to find out that it was actually a form of wart that is much like the chicken pox but doesn't look at all the same. So when we took him in today we just thought he was checking to see if he had anymore and how the one removed looked. Well he did have more and my heart almost broke because me and Tony held him down while the dr scraped or poked the rest of them off of his hip, thigh, and lower back. This was not pleasant at all but that little boy, although he was screaming, took it like a champ! On top of that he wasn't feeling well today at all. I felt so bad and wanted to cry but I had to be brave for him.

Also I took him for a follow up dentist appointment about a week ago and they needed new x-rays of his two year old molars. So again (this time by myself, Tony was unable to make it) I and a nurse held him down while he screamed for me

and the hand to clamp open his mouth to get those super uncomfortable things for the x-Rays in his mouth (if you've been to the dentist and had x-Rays you should know what I mean!). It was awful, then we found out that his 2 year old molars have holes in them, no enamel at all and if we don't get them capped or wrapped he's going to lose them. AND the nerves in the teeth are pretty much at the surface, the dentist was suprised he would even eat anything! I told him that he even eats chocolate like crazy and he was shocked that it wasn't bothering him more or that Maximus wasn't in more pain. I believe the kid has an EXTREMELY high pain tolerance. How could he not? So he will be going under for I think the 10th time (3rd for teeth) to wrap or cap his molars and fix a few of the front ones. The dentist said he has to do some research on how to do it because his teeth are mis-shaped but he's pretty sure he can figure something out and we have faith in him! He's an awesome dentist and really just loves and cares for maximus so much. Same with his dermatologist, he actually has an 11X14 picture of him and Maximus hanging above his desk. I just love DR's like these two, they have the best interest in their patients and really truly love them.

Anyways, I'm so proud to be Maximus mom. He is so awesome and so sweet. I just cannot express enough how brave this boy is. He's been through more in his almost 3 (yes his birthday is in less than a month!) years than I will ever endure in my lifetime. We just love him so much!!

(Sorry if you've already seen the picture on Facebook, but this was taken today and I just love it, he's so happy for being sick and having a pretty rough and totally unexpected morning.)

And I have to post this one as well! How many of you know any 3 year olds that can still take a bath in the sink?! I only know a few and I don't know if they would be as happy as this! (Ok maybe his little Goltz sister Ella would be, but she's about the only one I know!) he looks forward to taking a bath in the sink at grandma Rose house every time he goes!

Anyways, good night all!

Bye Bye Binki

2014-10-05T14:15:00.001-06:00

Well it's been about 2 weeks without binki! We had two left, one of them broke at my moms house one day it got a huge hole in it so I had maximus throw it away and then we came home and I gave him the last one we had. Two days later, it got a hole which he discovered. He showed me and so I told him to throw it away and we explained to him that if he threw it away that was it. There was no more binki. He went and threw it away and surprisingly the night went well! He is not cried for a minute and then went to sleep AND slept through the night! I was so proud of him but dreading the next few days. Well he suprised us again and only asked for it a few times and went to sleep every night without it. Now he doesn't even ask for it! It's been bittersweet but also really good. I'm so glad it went better than we thought it would. So proud of Maximus!

We woke up the other day to them playing with their Halloween buckets! I think they are ready for Trick-or-Treating! Just gotta figure out costumes. Can't wait!

When it Rains....

2014-09-20T23:09:00.001-06:00

So I spent all day on Friday setting up a fish tank. Cleaning an old one, getting new rocks because the old one had like 1000 snails in it and I didn't know it until I had the whole tank set up. Had my mom come over and help me get it set up. And then decided to wait to put the fish in it until today (Saturday).

Ha ha ha funny crazy morning we had!

2:30am - I went down on the couch because Tony was sawing logs so loud I could not sleep, this has not happened in months by the way.

5:30am - I hear this loud crack or bang and wake up thinking someone is breaking into our house. I turn my flashlight on my phone and take a look around without getting off the couch because let's be honest I was a little afraid. But finally braced myself and got up to go see if I could find the source that woke me up. Nothing was out of the ordinary so I went back to the couch and just sat there. A few min passed, and I start to hear the pump on the fish tank get louder and louder. So I again grab my phone turn on the flashlight and point it at the fish tank (as if something was going to jump out at me, I should have just got up and turned the light on but I was still a little on edge!) well turns out the loud crack was my fish tank! The whole bottom cracked and water pouring out onto my floor and my cedar chest which I sat it on. So I ran upstairs to get Tony out of bed to help me. We got it cleaned up and tried to go back to sleep. I stayed on the couch because I was too tired to move my crap back upstairs. Plus I was mad because I was so excited about the fish tank. Lol lame I know. I think it's because the kids were excited so I got excited.

The cracked tank! 😔

Ok....

8:15am - Tony comes rushing downstairs and out the garage waking me up, I was kinda confused until he ran in and yelled the basement is flooding!! Oh my gosh! What? I got up, ran down there and my craft room is flooded and water is still pouring in from the window well which is full of water. It was crazy. So we spent and hour cleaning that up while our kids had just woke up and was screaming at the top of the stairs at our gate we keep up so they can't get to the part we're remodeling.

So that was our crazy morning. But the day turned out pretty good! I went to my moms super Saturday she planned and helped teach how to make duck tape purses and some other cute crafts! It was a lot of fun and much needed. Then came home and luckily my mother in law kept Tony's old tank from having scorpions and it is the same size I needed for my fish! So I'm attempting it again. This time I spent an hour cleaning it and getting it set up in the garage until I know for sure no leaks or cracks and it's not gonna break on me. So wish me luck! Here it is set up in my garage. Just water water and my rocks for now! If I ever get it set up sometime next week I will post about it!

A Big Top Birthday!

2014-09-18T17:57:00.000-06:00

So this is a few days late! But it took me a while to get all the pictures on here and update the blog. Makaius's 1st birthday was so much fun for me to plan! It was a lot of work, but I loved every min of it! I love doing this and I have so much fun with it. A HUGE Thank You to my mom, and mother in law for helping me out in every way they could! And Thank you to all those who came, who helped clean up and so much more!

Here is the decor:

(my mom made the ticket booth decor, I did all the signs on the tables, and me and my mom made the carnival sign)

Here are the games we played:

(I put most of them together myself! Had some help from my mother in law and mom)

Bucket Toss

Ring Toss and Bean Bag Toss

Balloon Dart

Ping Pong Toss

(I did actual goldfish for the prize)

Kissing Booth

(Guess how many kisses are in the jar)

Duck Pond

(I wrote numbers 1-3 on the bottom of the ducks, then when they picked a duck the number corresponded with the prize. 1 = 3 small pieces of candy, 2 = 5 small pieces of candy, 3 = King size candy bar)

Thanks to Tony, my mom, sister and her boyfriend for their help with the games!

Tony cookin!

Birthday Boy playing games! And playing with Amanda (a neighbor who helps Maximus a lot in nursery)

Photo Booth!

Cake Smash! He was so dang cute!

Here is a video of him smashing the cake:

Opening presents!

Video of him so excited opening presents!

The cake:

Me and mom decided to attempt making it ourselves even though I've failed miserably twice now! BUT with some tips from my cousin, it actually turned out pretty dang good! I'm pretty proud of myself and thanks to my mom for helping me AND keeping me sane through it all! I will get better! I actually really love doing them.

Happy Birthday Big boy! We love you so much! Hope you had a good 1st Birthday!

Day 16, 17, 18

2013-12-22T23:28:00.001-07:00

Day # 16 - me

Day #18 - me again

Day 19 - me again!

If I have time I'll blog about Maximus's big 2nd birthday tomorrow! It was successful! PS I'm pretty sure bambino skipped a day and didn't come back, I'm blaming it on the weather.

Day 14 & 15

2013-12-19T00:30:00.001-07:00

Day 14 - My turn

Day #15 - Tony's turn

We are remodeling the basement or trying to finish! And today while tearing out the bathroom this is what Tony found!

That's dryer lint! In the ceiling! Like an inch and a half of it! So gross. Needless to say we're glad we tore the sheet rock off the ceiling so we could fix it.

Anyways, soo much to get done before Sunday! Getting ready for a special little boys 2 year birthday party!! Can't wait! Can't believe he will be 2!

Day #12 & 13

2013-12-13T23:11:00.001-07:00

Eating a candy cane! He loves it, I give it to him to help his tummy aches

Getting into mischief at grandmas. He threw away a whole cubboard full of stuff! Little stinker!

Watching Daddy play his game. It totally calmed him down. He was unhappy for a while and as soon as I laid him down he was so happy just watching!

Day 9, 10 & 11

2013-12-11T22:52:00.001-07:00

Day 9 - Tony's turn

Day 10 - My turn

Day 11 - My turn again because Tony forgot!

Also a cute little Santa Clause! I have some of Maximus also of when he fit into this outfit he was almost a year old I'm pretty sure. I'll have to do some comparisons.

Also a pic of my sweet almost 2 year old!! Time flies. I miss my baby. Even though he's still little and I have another baby. It's so fun being his mom and watching him learn and grow. Can't wait for his Birthday! Can't wait for Christmas!

Day #8

2013-12-08T23:23:00.001-07:00

Day 6&7

2013-12-08T00:16:00.001-07:00

Day 6: My turn

Day 7: Tony's turn

Day #5

2013-12-05T22:27:00.001-07:00

What Bambino has been up to

2013-12-05T17:02:00.001-07:00

Tony's Day

My Day

Tony's Day

Sorry I got behind! Haven't gotten to today's yet either! But I will post later tonight!

Maximus snuggling me! Hasn't happened in a while!

Moose Bum!

Welcome Bambino!

2013-12-01T19:34:00.001-07:00

Bambino is back to visit our house! (I think this is more fun for me and Tony right now until Maximus and Makaius are a little older and understand better)

We take turns putting him in the different places each night. The first night we were pretty busy all day and so I rushed at the last min to get him out. It was my turn, tonight is Tony's turn.

Here was night #1:

I will try best to keep this updated daily with his (Bambino) new adventures.

Also today we blessed Makaius. Tony did a wonderful job with the blessing! And Makaius looked so handsome in his tux. I did not get any pictures of him but my mom did. He was really spitty and had a bit of a tummy ache so I got his clothes off pretty quick. Tomorrow we are going to go to the temple and get a few pictures of him and the family so I'm excited about those! I'll post those when we get them but for now this one of him sleeping should do!

Life with 2!

2013-11-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

It's been crazy busy with 2. I love it, but it's definitely an adjustment. There are so many projects I want to do, get done. And I beat myself up at times because I'm not one of those super moms that has a perfect home, beautiful projects done everyday, a gourmet dinner on the table most nights. But I have to just back up and say at least my kids and husband are fed, and taken care of! Thats an accomplishment and if I happen to get a project half done as well then I pat myself on the back and feel good! We've just been hanging out mostly as a family of four. Tony takes Maximus on bike rides and hangs out with him a lot. He's been great at getting him fed in the mornings while I'm feeding the baby. It's so nice having him work at home and at the same time frustrating for him because I'm trying to clean and chase a toddler around keeping him out of Tony's office and try to keep him from pouncing on his little brother!

Tony is still doing Real Estate, loving it! It's getting better slowly and he is learning a lot. If you know of anyone wanting to buy or sale or if you yourself are thinking about it give him a shout! He's great at what he does.

Maximus is doing quite well. He just saw the eye Dr again a couple weeks ago and gets to have glasses! I was really worried about this he already has so much going on. But I know he will do great with them when he can see the benefit from wearing them. We haven't got them yet, I'm hoping to cross that off my list this week. He's also starting to figure out a few words, and he's still using his sign language quite well. I can't believe he will be 2 in December! It's gone by so fast. Some stats and likes for Maximus are:

Weight: 17 lbs 4 oz

Height: 30 in

(still not on the charts but growing on his own curve!)

He loves to tease, he loves going on bike rides with dad, has to have his grandmas right next to him while he is at their houses (or mom or dad at our house), hates nursery!, is very curious and an explorer. Maximus also still has 4 therapists coming to our home to work with him. OT - Gary works on fine motor skills and keeping him on track, Speech - Gayleen works on feeding issues and obviously speech, and then two other ladies Becca and Alex come out to help me and Tony with his tantrums and frustrations I'm not really sure what their title is. He does not receive any PT at the time because he is his own best physical therapist. He wears a foot brace and it helps a ton, in fact he will not wear a shoe anymore unless he has his brace! It's so cute. I need to get a picture of it. His Dr visits have slowed down tremendously. He only goes to a couple Dr's a month now and I suspect after the first of the year that will drop even more. It's nice for us as parents and for him I'm sure. Maximus also LOVES to help me clean! SCORE! He LOVES the vacuum its his favorite. I need to find him one for Christmas that is a toy but still does the job. He gets so excited to help me vacuum. I have a video of him helping me I'll try to upload but right now it won't work. Well thats about it for now. Here are a few pictures to enjoy...

We bleed BLUE now dad... Not red. Yes you were right it was only a matter of time.

Makaius loves to snuggle mommy

Had a little jaundice so he's sun bathing

loves to snuggle with grandpa's

Just like older brother and LOVES his baths

Maximus in the new bike trailer going with daddy

went hunting sheep with daddy and grandpa

Makaius Christian Sessions

2013-11-19T22:41:00.000-07:00

I know its been WAAAAAAYYYYYY TOOOOOO long since a blog post! So I hope you'll all forgive me. It's been crazy getting ready for Makaius to come and then adjusting to life with 2! It has been so much fun and we have been enjoying it. The next few days there will be a few posts of the last 4 months since my last post. It's not much but it will do right?!

Makaius Christian Sessions was born on September 15, 2013 at 8:42am. He weighed 7 lbs 12 oz and was 20 inches long! He came into this world via c-section and it went pretty well. I was really really nervous this time around I think because I knew what was happening and with Maximus it was an emergency and I was so disoriented. I also felt them cut into me with Maximus so I was extra scared of that happening again so they gave me anxiety medication and it made me really sick. This time around I didn't feel anything not even them pushing on my ribs and chest to get him out! So it was nice, I did end up throwing up a lot right when I got into the OR so that was not fun! All around it was a better experience this time around. Here are a few pictures just off of my phone. I haven't really got to the ones on the camera yet!

Here's me 9 months pregnant at 4:30am!

Just an hour or so after he was born, first time I got to hold him

Maximus showing Makaius his cool toe!

Checking out baby brother

On his way home!

Day 2 hanging out with Mommy in the hospital

Big brother playing with toys in moms hospital room. Its the only thing that would get him to stay in my room. Every time he came in he would just cry and cry. I don't blame him! He's not dumb! He knows when he is in the hospital.

A quick update

2013-07-25T21:11:00.001-06:00

It's been a packed two days at the family conference! Tuesday night we got to have some fun and go to an aquarium! It was fun other than Maximus didn't like it too much all he wanted was to play in the splash pad, which he eventually got and I'm sorry I'm blogging from my phone and don't have too many pics. Here is the group of girls with Goltz, and Maximus the only boy here. One of the girls dads actually has it and is here with her but he is not in the picture. They are the only two males here out of the 19 affected.

Here are a few pics at the aquarium. Maximus watching the fish...

Maximus with his new little girl friend. She is 16 months old and affected by Goltz they are very similar to each other. She is from Iceland and we have been loving getting to know them!

A huge fish and a green eel....

One of my favorites! A parrot!

A HUGE python snake...

My absolute favorite thing! I love the Siberian tiger! I cannot believe they had one here! I was so excited to actually see it, it was huge!

Riding the carousel, I have better pictures on the camera but its late and I'm exhausted so I'll have to post them later. He was mad in this pic because it hasn't started going yet.

Riding the Ferris wheel....

Yesterday they moved us from one hotel to another where the family conference part is. Maximus was so tired he was falling asleep in his stroller while trying to eat.

Reading a new story about being different with grandma before bed last night.

Today Maximus spent most of the day at a kids camp while me and Tony and both grandmas attended a few classes where Dr's and got a LOT of new information on Goltz syndrome. Then tonight we went to a pool party for a couple hours. This is another group photo.

I'm sorry it's a short update. I will try my hardest to spend some time tomorrow getting better pictures and more info up. I came down with severe allergies it sinus infection on Tuesday and its not getting better. I'm hoping to get some sleep tonight for another packed day tomorrow.

Love you all! And I love the new NFED and Goltz families!