Our Weekend... a couple weekends ago!

A few weekends ago, Derek, Gage, and I headed up north. We went up Thursday night so that I could go to a MAJOR scrapbooking warehouse on Friday morning with my friend, Megan. Sadly, we got there and they had closed it down until the next week. But then, this fabulous lady came and opened it up and said we could shop since I had come all that way! :) Oh how I loved her! If only you could see all that I scored for $50, then you would understand the love I am talking about! I swear I left feeling like I had just robbed her, except for the fact that she helped me load it all into my car!! Derek also got to go fishing on the Provo River on Friday and had a fabulous time as well. We got back to Derek's uncle's house just so excited to tell each other how perfect our days had turned out! Uncle Tim kept laughing at us the entire time, telling us we were like little kids just waiting to get our stories out! Yeah, it really was that good!
Our friends also got married that day, so we went to their reception to see them. They are both accountants, too. Cool, huh! So we have had lots of classes together and it has been fun!

On Saturday, we went to go to Hogle Zoo with our good friends, Heather and Jordan, and baby Hart! (don't know if it's a boy or girl yet! :) ) We got there after making Heather and Jordan wait for us for an hour because the traffic was so bad, and when we got there it was FREEZING!! And we showed up in shorts and t-shirts. So, needless to say, the zoo didn't end up happening. But we did get to go to a really cute children's museum at the Gateway mall. We hung out with them for the rest of the day, and had a BLAST with them, as usual! And Jordan got Derek hooked on "fat princess." Yes, I'm pretty sure it was that game that convinced him to get rid of the XBOX 360 and move on to the PS3 this past weekend...

This is Jordan and Heather... Aren't they so cute! :) I just love them!


And this was one of the fun areas of the children's museum! Gage loves mirrors, so this was a big hit for him!


On Sunday, we met back up with Megan, Junior, and their little guy Trey. We went to this fun park with a little beach area and lake. The boys had so much fun playing in the sand!!

And yes, that is sand you see all over Gage's face. I know last time when we were in California I said I don't just let him eat handfuls of sand, but this picture kinda marks me as a liar. Really, he is so quick I just can't stop him! He loved playing in the water!

On Monday morning, we had a doctor appointment with Gage's ENT. It was a follow-up appointment from Gage's recent surgery. The follow-up went well and the doctor seemed very positive in his remarks. I seriously can't help but feel that the surgery has really helped, if not healed Gage's sleep apnea. He never snores any more and I never hear him gasp for breath like I used to when he was sleeping. He also hasn't had a stuffy nose since, which he had constantly before the surgery took place. Oh, I just hope so bad that I am right with this feeling!! This little hero has been through enough, so maybe he will get a break here!
After the appointment, we went over to Liberty Park in Salt Lake to meet up with a family I have been so excited to meet! We got to meet Carter and his sweet mom. We also got to meet his big brother and sister briefly, but they were busy having a blast at the fun park with their friends! Carter is absolutely adorable. He is just as happy as can be, and Derek and I seriously couldn't get over his smile! He and Gage have lots in common, and I am excited to see their friendship grow as the hopefully get to spend more time together as they grow up!

They were showing eachother how cool their hands are.
Too cute!!

Like I said, isn't his smile just to die for!!

Sharing the ding-dongs! I kinda was afraid that Carter was going to get a bonk on the head though, so I had to make my move!
Thanks so much for meeting up with us you guys!! We can't wait to see you again!

Another update!

So really, I know I go way too long between updates, then overload... but it's better than nothing, right?! The first pictures are from Grandma & Grandpa McDonald's 50th Anniversary party. It was so so much fun to see all the family we barely ever get to see! The party was at my aunt and uncle's house in Vegas. Everyone did such a great job putting it all together!
This first picture is just so sweet. My grandparents were really young when they got married. They never had a wedding cake, so they had a beautiful cake at the party and cut it together, then fed it to eachother. Too cute!!

Not what you were expecting to see, huh! This was dinner! Haha Everyone was so amused watching the pig be cut up, it was a big hit!

Our happy boy hanging out with Papa Joe! He loved showing off for everyone at the party.

This is our best attempt at a shot of everyone with the tri-pod! Such a fun clan.

This is my family with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa and Grandma are in the front, then it is me, Gage, Derek, Cherri (SIL), Kody (brother), Kaden (brother), Dad, and Mom.

Gage with his great grandparents!

Last week, Derek, Gage, & I went with Derek's family on a trip to California. We stopped to visit Derek's Grandpa Ron and Barbra on the way.
Chanel, Staci, Alyssa, Carly, Grandpa Ron, Jess, Derek, Gage, me, Cheryl, and Barbra.

Our first day in Cali we went to the beach. It was in the evening so it was chilly. I snuggled Gage up and walked the beach while Derek took some gorgeous shots with the camera.

Gage was so amuzed by the sand on his hands! Something new to him!

... and apparently that "something new" tasted pretty good! I really didn't let him just have mouthful after mouthful! I just let him taste it to figure out what it was. And he sneaked a few while I wasn't looking!

Snuggling on the beach

Waiting to go on "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride"! I'll explain the facial expression later!

Gage's nickname since right when he was born is "Toad". I'm not sure where Derek came up with it, but it just stuck! So this ride fit perfectly! Our "Mr. Toad" sure has given us a wild ride, but it sure has been fun!!

The "Toady" car!

Alrght, this was hands down Gage's favorite ride! "It's a Small World". Everyone else complained about going on it, but I would have sat on it all day long just to see his sweet face light up like it did! SO STINKIN' CUTE!!

Going on the rocket ride with Grandma Loveless and Tony!

We always get our picture by the "A" at the entrance to California Adventure. It was fun to get to have Gage in the picture this time!

This little guy is so in love with fish! Even if they are fake, he loves to look at them! There were big fake fish tanks in Toon Town so we had to stop and take a look!

This is the facial expression I was talking about!! After going to the Tiki Room, Gage kept doing this cute little face. I think he was trying to do what the birds do. Isn't he just so funny!! I love him!

My favorite boys hanging out in the Tiki Room! We had so much fun in California, it was hard to get back to reality!

Random Stuff...

Well, I figured since it had been a while I would put some pictures up! We took Gage out fishing for his first time. He loves being outside so I knew he would love it! He had a ton of fun!

Here's Gage with our good friend, Lesley. We went with her and her husband, Jason. We caught tons of fish and enjoyed good company!

We got to go up north to visit with family for an evening. Derek's cousin flew in for the week so it was good to see him! And also Derek's uncles and Jess and Dru. Can you tell Jess just "hates" lovin' on Gage?!

We have been loving being outside this summer! Gage loves to go for walks to the park, and swimming in his little pool in the yard.

Another fishing trip! I love this picture. Gage is trying really hard to get Derek to look at something!

More fishing! More like, sitting around the campfire now. Clint made up some yummy dinner on the fire!

And here is our typical dinner-time around our house. Gage no longer allows us to feed him, so here he is covered in potatoes! Usually I try to make dinner that isn't this messy so he doesn't get so covered, but he loves it!

Snoozing. He was trying so hard to stay awake and play with me but then just couldn't take it anymore! I love him :)

Sorry for the nakey-bum picture, I just couldn't resist! I had Gage sitting on the mat and started filling the tub. Before I knew it he had stood up to try to get in! Obviously I couldn't miss this kodak moment!!

This morning, Derek and I were getting ready to take Gage for a bike ride. I looked to check on Gage and this is where I found him! Under the bed! He thought it was pretty cool, he is clapping for himself in this picture! It was so funny though, cuz then he decided he wanted to sit up and got all frustrated because he was under the bed so it didn't work so well! Oh he is just too fun! What a sweetheart!

home!

Just thought I would let anyone who might be wondering that Gage got to come home earlier today. He is doing FABULOUS! They said day 3 would be the worst and he was an angel all day so hopefully he just continues to heal very well. Thank you so much to everyone for your thoughts and prayers, we love you all!

Just an update for today... we were in the PICU longer this time then we were for Gage's OHS! Crazy stuff! Not a whole lot longer though, it just took them a while to get the orders and a room ready. I kept saying how bad I felt to be in the PICU with a little boy climbing all over his crib and clapping, talking, laughing, smiling and all that good stuff because everyone else's kids were so sad and miserable! I felt like it wasn't fair to them, but I couldn't do much about it. So we got there today and were informed that the nurse at the front desk of the PICU loves Gage, our nurse said he was just too cute, and every single other nurse flirted with him all night long! The nurse was saying it is such a relief to have a lively, happy little one in there that they can see acting like himself since they usually have kids that are just so sick. Luckily, Gage's nurse last night only had 2 kids to watch and the little girl slept really well because Gage wanted to be snuggled and played with until 1 or 2 o'clock!
He was able to move to his own room at about noon, so it is nice to have a place of our own now!
The reason we are still here is because our sweet man just wants to play instead of eat or drink. I ordered him a chocolate shake and jello from the room service they have here, and he liked the chocolate shake for a while, then just covered himself from head to toe and made it so we had to put an entirely new set of bedding on his crib! He thought that was pretty fun!
Gage has been getting a pain medication through his IV until we got into his new room. Then the nurse decided to give him Lortab orally. I was excited because I thought it would make him sleep since he won't nap today. Unfortunately it did the EXACT OPPOSITE! Holy cow, this kid was all over the place. So since he wouldn't sleep, I decided to order some mac'n'cheese from room service since he loves to eat that at home. Good call on that one, he ate a TON! Then, I was under the impression that he was only allowed to have drink from a cup, sippie, or straw. So until about an hour ago, we have been trying to get him to do that but for some reason he just wouldn't take more then a couple drinks. So luckily our new nurse said he could have a bottle, so we were able to get 2 ounces in him before he zonked out. Now he is sleepin, and once he wakes up we will try to get lots more fluids into him so we can get outta here tomorrow! We will see...

Got some pictures!

I just thought I would post some pictures we have of Gage hanging out in the PICU!

Gage slept for quite a while,
so we both got to snuggle on him and let him get some good rest.

Look how happy he already is! He started grabbing at our jewlery and playing with toys, so his normal personality is starting to show through again! It is so cool, they have therapy dogs that they walk around the PICU so Gage got to watch the big dog for a while and he enjoyed that! I guess the owner has to brush the dogs teeth every day, have the dog completely brushed all the time, bathed at least once a week, and they have to have a certain number of grooming appointments a month, so you know they are all clean. I just thought that was way cool.

And here's Gage just hanging out with Gramma Jill! We're happy she got to come with us, thanks mom!

Just thought I'd give a quick update, even though nothing really has been going on! I just handed Gage over to Derek so I could come have some lunch, and he is still totally asleep. He has been sleepin for quite a while here, so that is really good! I'm glad he is comfortable enough to sleep. We are expecting to keep him in the PICU for the night then maybe go home tomorrow, or maybe not! Who knows, right? Thanks for thinking of us!

We got to go see Gage a few minutes ago... then got kicked out :( Nothing is wrong, the little baby in the PICU next to him was having some procedure done so they didn't want us to stay in there. It broke our hearts to set him down though because he is in so much pain and keeps crying so we felt so bad. When the nurse came in to take us back, she said he was having a hard time breathing when they got him so they put him on 3L of O2 but they didn't act too concerned about it and I think it was probably because of the anethesia. Oh and I was so excited because he was off the vent when we went in! I thought he was going to be on it for at least a little bit as he recovered, but I guess not!

Holy cow! The surgeon already came and got us like 10 minutes ago and is all done! We are now just waiting for them to move Gage to the PICU so we can go see him! YAY :) I couldn't believe it. That took about as long as it takes for me to clip his finger nails! (no but seriously!) The report from the surgeon was that his tonsils were "moderately large" and his adnoids were 75% obstructive. That really has to make a difference for him. Like he has told us before, with Ds the chances of this being totally successful to get rid of the apnea are smaller, but he is more hopeful that it will help quite a bit because everything was so big for such a small boy.

Surgery begins...

So here we go with another surgery update marathon! We just handed Gage over to the surgeons and are in our lovely waiting room... again. Luckily, our first update will probably be the surgeon, Dr. Muntz, coming in to tell us how fabulously everything went during surgery and how happy Gage is to have his tonsils and adnoids out! (ok, yeah right on the second part!) The surgery should only last about an hour. I was excited this morning when we found out that Dr. Muntz, the ENT we met with about a month and a half ago, will be the surgeon for Gage. He knows a million things about him and his situation, what a blessing! I'll update again when I can. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers, it means the world to us!
Love you all