Hangin w/ Mimi & Pops

Drew's gotten to spend a lot of time with his Mimi & Pops this month! They came and babysat him for the weekend while Matt and I had a staycation. We stayed in Houston, but went out and did all the fun stuff that we don't usually do...restaurants, movies in the theater, comedy club, Galleria, etc. Oh, and we got to sleep in two days in a row!!! I literally have not slept in since Drew was born (17 months ago)! Thank you, Mimi & Pops!

We also made a quick trip to Dallas for my niece's wedding shower, so Drewski got to hang with them some more!

Poor baby is covered in skeeter bites :( I was afraid to take him to library storytime last week because I thought the other moms would think he had chickenpox!!

Can you believe this toy from "the Year 2000" (best Conan voice) still works? "Happy New Year, Amigo!" Drew loved it.

Texas!

This may be small, but your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. That says 119 degrees. Yup. Welcome back to Texas!

Daily Dose 'O Drew!

Eating WITH a spoon...

Latest favorite activity: driving the highchair...till it falls off the ledge into our sunken living room or tips over. Awesome.

Spikey hair from sunscreen. We are loving swim lessons!

Summer Fun

Last weekend we went to the Houston Aquarium. It was fun, but has nothing on the Dallas Aquarium, that's for sure. It was a pretty short exhibit, but it was perfect for Drew. Of course, Drew's favorite part of the aquarium was the tigers (makes perfect sense, right?)! Last year we went to the Dallas Aquarium when Drew was 4 months old and the Pintada Tigers were his favorite there. They even brought on his first real laughing fits :) So, I guess we have a Tiger fan on our hands.

Blurry, but I love how he looks like such a big boy standing by himself with his shoes on!

NO Fear...we are in trouble with this one!

Petting Stingrays
(I gladly volunteered to be the photographer for this one - yuck!!!!)

Scuba Drew

In other news, Drew usually entertains himself at home by finding all the things he can get into! Here he is in the ONE cabinet in the kitchen that doesn't have a child latch on it...Note to self: get more latches!

Silly Tee Pee Maker

New favorite hideout...behind the high chair! He stands back there and pull the straps through the back, climbs up the chair, pushes the chair around like a walker (until it falls of the ledge - we have a sunken living room)! He's always on the go!

Fish Dog

Drew loves the water so much that you'd think he was part fish....

...or is he part dog???

Yup, that first squeal is Drew!

Short Video

I never could get blogger to upload this, so here is a You Tube video! It's nothing fancy, just Drew "reading!" He LOVES books.

In other news...Some fun was had this month!

Mother's Day 2011

Mimi with her 2 favorite little Fleas

We've been a wee bit preoccupied this past month. I can't imagine why! :) So I've failed to post any of the cute things that Drew has done. I shot 2 quick videos this evening to show you some of his recent doings. The neuro doctor told us to count Drew as walking from when he took his first unassisted steps. So technically, he's been walking since early April. But in reality, he's only been what we consider a walker for the last several weeks. Sorry we didn't celebrate this milestone more! We were consumed with medical worries :) But....we have a walker! He can even turn corners and go into different rooms, etc. now! Yay!!

P.S. Apparently the 2nd video doesn't want to load tonight...It's a cliffhanger until I can get it to work!

Update on Drewski

We had Drew's "big" neuro appointment today and it was good news all around! All his tests have come back normal so far (and there were a LOT of tests). Thanks be to God and thank you all SO MUCH for the prayers.

There were 2 separate issues - the seizure & the calcification they found with the MRI. They aren't necessarily related. Update on the seizure: There is nothing to indicate that he has epilepsy. The doctor said that basically there is still a 50/50 chance that he will have another seizure, so we will cross that bridge if we come to it. Update on the calcification: They believe it was caused by a virus I had while pregnant (seriously, I was sick for less than 2 days - didn't even think it was a big deal)! It could cause developmental delays, but as of now, he's on track with his milestones & the doctor isn't worried. We chose to have him evaluated a little more in depth, just to catch anything that a developmental specialist might see. That won't happen for a few more weeks. Again, the doctor thinks he's fine, so we are thankful beyond measure! (The calcification could also not effect him in anyway, which is what we are hoping and praying for).

P.S. His new doctor is literally a brain surgeon who graduated from Harvard Medical -- YESSSSSSS!

Praise God!!

Our precious boy had a seizure on Friday. 911 was called, we were taken the ER where they did a CT scan that showed a brain mass. We were transported to Texas Children's so that a pediatric neurologist could examine his scans. They determined that he needed an MRI. The doctors at Texas Children's showed us the CT scan. The mass appeared to be about the size of a dime in Drew's left frontal lobe. The doctors said that this is not a normal place for a tumor to develop. Speculation included anything from an amoeba to a metastasized tumor (could not have been the original tumor based on location). We had to wait overnight for the MRI with this knowledge and these possibilities looming.

On Saturday morning Drew had the MRI and it showed NO MASS. PRAISE GOD. We have never prayed so hard in our lives. Apparently, the CT machine at the first hospital had an "artifact" (dust?) on it that showed up on Drew's scans. Seriously, Praise God!!!!!!! All other blood and urine tests came back normal.

We are still undergoing testing to determine the cause of the seizure. It was not febrile. Blood sugar and blood pressure were normal too. Some calcification was found in Drew's brain during the MRI. It could be the cause of the seizure, or it could be nothing at all. It's something that is usually never found in babies because it can only be seen with an MRI, so usually it goes undiagnosed. The calcification could be from a virus I had while he was in utero (I did get violently ill once while pregnant). It could cause developmental delays in Drew. At this point, they are not concerned with his development. He is a late walker, but so far he's within the normal parameters. The calcification could also be a sign of a metabolic disorder. So we will undergo some more testing including an EEG, more blood work and more urine work (these take 4-6 weeks for results). I will keep you posted.

If you had told me about the calcification 2 days ago I would have bawled and been stressed about my little guy. Today, I am beyond relieved. ANYTHING compared to a brain mass is a relief and a blessing.

We are so thankful and so blessed to have our little guy!!!! There are so many little things that happened during the course of this ordeal that are absolute blessings. Starting with the fact that we just moved to Houston and have access to AMAZING healthcare. If this had happened in Hobbs there wouldn't have a PEDIATRIC NEUROLGIST (times 10) to care for him. He had so many doctors working on him and this was their exact specialty. The clinic he will go to from now on is even more specifically tailored to him - a pediatric seizure clinic. Hallelujah. Amazing health care. Also, we were shopping at HEB when the seizure happened. I went there on a whim (instead of a closer store). This meant I was out in public and had so many kind strangers helping me during the seizure. Also, the location of the store had a clinic in the same building! The nurses there gave Drew oxygen and cared from him until the EMTs arrived. Also, Matt had just called and asked me to get pastrami from the deli before I left. If I hadn't done that, I would've been checked out already and in my car when the seizure happened. Drew is still extended rear-facing so I wouldn't have even seen him seize. I am blown away by how everything came together for him to get the best treatment possible.

Today we are so thankful.

...but I think we will skip all Friday the 13ths from now on! ;)

<3

Taylor's Wedding!

Our precious little guy was The World's Cutest Ringbearer last month at Taylor's wedding! Val decorated this wagon and Drew and Katelyn (flower girl) rode down the aisle, pulled by Jonathan. Sounds cute, right?
Well, this picture of Drew with the beautiful bride is just a tiny warning of things to come...

Taylor looked gorgeous on her wedding day!
I wish I got more pictures, but I was doing a lot of baby-wranglin'

The boy cousins! Jonathan & Drew looking dapper.

Drew & Dad practicing walking at the church!

"Hey, Dad. Am I showing too much cuff?"

The sweetest little cousins made the cutest flower girl/ring bearer pair. They did great while they were practicing...

They look so well behaved and calm...
Right before it was time for them to go down the aisle, Drew decided that he just could NOT part ways with the world's ugliest monster truck toy from the church nursery. Like oversized tires, scary face painted on it, monster truck. He threw a FIT that the entire church heard. So, I threw him in the wagon, with the monster truck. Only then to realize he only had one shoe on. Too late. Oh, and I couldn't find black socks, so he had a navy blue sock showing. And did I mention that whenever Drew cries, Katelyn gets super upset? So they both screamed the ugly cry all the way down the aisle!

There were no more pictures that day after the wedding. I was pooped from baby wranglin and carrying a 28lb child while wearing 3 inch heels. Not a good idea!

It really was a fun time, though, and we were glad to be a part of Taylor's special day. I wish I had a good pic of the couple! I'll try to steal one from FB :)

Best wishes to Mr. and Mrs. Wood!!

This pic was stolen from Kristi's blog! Drew has the music in him, that's for sure. The boy has the beat! Loves to dance!

15 Months

We just got back from Drew's 15 month check up. He got one vaccine and had the normal measurements taken.

Weight - 28lbs (96th percentile)

Height - 30.5 inches (24th percentile)

Head was 76th percentile, but I can't remember the inches

The doctor said he looks great walking around holding my finger and she said the reason he's not walking yet is most likely because of his weight! She said she's confident he'll walk within the next month and that there's nothing to worry about.

Looks like he's takin' after his mama!

Unpacking? What unpacking? We can live amongst the remaining 40 boxes....at least until the ROYAL WEDDING is over.

Yesssssssssssssssssssssss

Daily Dose O' Drew

For those who were wondering...The Pose is still around!

We are in full on Molar Madness right now...check out those teething cheekies!

A glimpse into lunch w/ Drew while daddy's home making funny sounds...

First Steps!

Drew took his first steps today!

We were practicing walking (holding onto my fingers) and I did my normal trick of slipping my fingers out of his grasp. Usually he immediately gets jelly legs and crumbles to the ground in a heap, but today he just stood there, got his balance, and then took 2 full steps on his own before he bent at the waist and made a teepee. We both cracked up laughing and then called Matt to celebrate!

So excited for this milestone! He should be walking sooooon!

Doughboy

Someone call Pillsbury!
The Doughboy got lost and ended up at our house!Favorite Bear

Drew loves to gather up his animals and give them hugs!

!

Look out world! Here Comes Drew (with a push toy)!

I snapped a few quick videos today of the Drewski! Here's my sweet boy with his push toy. He should be walking soooooon! He's a late bloomer in the walking department, so we are so proud of him and his push toy (he just started walking with it this week)!!! Cutie pie!

This also gives you an idea of our apt. Drew's in a PNP and I have a make shift changing pad on the floor to the right. Less than 3 weeks till we move into our house!




The next videos I snapped of him saying "ball." I love his sweet little voice!

57 minutes and 39 seconds

...and transfers to 6 different people. This is precisely why we canceled with AT&T. BOOOO.

Slainte!

Top 'O the evening to ya! We Flehartys like to celebrate St. Paddy's day in style, even though we are FLEA-heart-ees and not FLAIR-tees! My mom (Mimi) sent Drew this cute St. Patrick's day t-shirt. It was cute in the morning, but by the time I took a pic it had a few spots on it!

LOVE this face!

Mmmm, corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, bread, green beer & scones!

Whatta difference a year makes! I'm SO upset that I didn't think ahead to bring the green wig to Houston, but those are the same green socks! A little smaller on him now...

Happy Saint Paddy's Day!

Houses!

We have a contract on our house in Hobbs and we just made an offer (that was accepted!!) on a house in Houston! Things are moving....and so are we! WOWZA!We looked and looked and looked for a house in Houston and this was our favorite by far! We had a very specific set of criteria and ended up compromising on a few things (2 story & HOA), but this has a huge yard with gorgeous trees, is on a cul-de-sac, and in a good school zone! Plus, the HOA is not very restrictive (you can have your own mailbox, put up bball hoops, flags, etc.)
YAY

Drew's 1st Haircut!

Well, the time came for our little shaggy guy to get his first haircut! Some may say it was a wee bit overdue. I prefer to think he was going for the Justin Beiber look. He's very stylish for a 13 month old.

My good friend, Andrea, owns a kids hair salon in Katy. I thought we should take Drew there for his first haircut. Matt had other ideas. He really wanted to give Drew his first haircut.

Before we took Drew outside and put him in the highchair, I asked Matt what his plan was for the haircut. When he said, "I don't know," it should've been a red flag. When he came outside with KITCHEN SCISSORS, it should've been a red flag (don't worry, I made him use hair scissors). When I thought about our luck in general when it comes to things like this, it should've been a red flag!

All was going well for the first few snips.
Then, Matt went to make a cut in the front and....swish! Drew swung his head around.
Ooops.
Poor baby Drew.

Then, Matt got gun shy and didn't want to finish trimming the back up. So Drew had SUPER short hair in the front (uneven super short hair in the front) and long scraggles in the back. So, I decided to trim up the back. Right when I was about to make a cut, SWISH again. He moved his head and BAM. Another chunk.

I think his face says it all.

I think he's got Andrea's # on speed dial now...