Christmas cards...

SO... I had a few great ideas for Christmas cards. You know, dressing my little man up and taking all kinds of cute pictures. Well, I've been trying to take the pictures now for about 3-4 weeks and it has yet to work out. I wanted to take a family picture outside. We even got him a cute little polo and some jeans (which he NEVER usually would wear.) But every time we plan to take pictures, it never works out. Either it's raining, it's Randy's late night and it's already dark, or Tripp just finished his 2 hour bath and dressing change and he is completely pooped out and I would get child services called on me if I tried to put him in long sleeves and jeans. SO, I think I decided that I am just going to do an "online" blog Christmas card, if that's okay with everyone. I'll just put a few pictures that I took of him and maybe if we get a chance to do our "family portrait" I can post that one, too. I just think it's too late for me to try and print a million cards. We have so much family and so many friends that I want to send them to, that I really don't know if I have time to get them out now... and I would be scared I would forget someone and then I would feel horrible. I am really sad about it though because it's Tripp's first Christmas and I really wanted to send out cards... if you know ME, i've wanted a little family and to be able to send out family Christmas cards for about 10 years now!! haha... BUT like everything else, I think it's best I do it this way. That way everyone who reads the blog will get a Christmas card!! I don't even have time to eat lunch during the day, so I doubt I'll get a chance to address all those cards!!

Anyway, Tripp had a REALLY good night last night. I only had to get up 2 times before 5 AM... that is AWESOME. I can totally live with that. After 5, he started with all his "morning yuckiness." But I really feel rested this morning. Hopefully my energy will last through the day and I can get something done today. Maybe I'll even cook dinner, haha. But lately, I've just been feeling so stiff. Everything on my body hurts, from my head to my feet. I just need to start SOME kind of exercise. It's really hard to find the time to do that when there is NO kind of schedule going on in this house!! I told my mom yesterday that I wanted to try and get out of the house and maybe drive to Ponchatoula (my hometown, where my parents live) but then I came to my senses. I really just don't think we're ready. As much as I want to, there is really no safe place for me to pull over if I would have to suction him. It's pretty much all interstate... and it's a BRIDGE interstate, so it's not safe for me to be pulling over and getting out. AND, not to mention the fact that things are kind of starting to get better and I don't THINK he has a cold right now (his nose has been a little more runny, so I hope he's not catching another one) so I don't want to take him out in the cold and around people and risk him getting anything. That would be kind of silly on my part. SO we will just stay home, no biggie. I was thinking last night in the shower... you know, some people don't even have hot water to take a shower. Thank God that I have hot water to be able to enjoy my shower. And thank God we even have a house to have to sit in all day! Not everyone has that you know. I'm just really starting to realize that I have a WHOLE lot to be thankful for. And I know if Tripp could talk he would probably be like, yeah mom, what do I have to be thankful for with all these sores??? But it's true. I'm thankful I HAVE him. Blisters and ALL!! I wouldn't trade him for anything else in the world. I think you guys know that by now!! Ha.

Tripp's dental surgery is still scheduled for December 31st. We will probably be going to see the dentist next week.. and the ENT (gotta fit them all in one day!) So we will find out if everything is still a go, which I'm sure it is because his mouth has only changed for the worse. The only thing that makes me nervous is if the teeth come out and he is still getting sores. But we will just have to see. I know the sores right now are definitely 100% from his teeth. So hopefully it will help something. If not, we will just deal with it like always!!

Nana came over to help on Wednesday. It's always nice to have the extra help and the adult company most of all!! Maybe I should give you a family tree for all of you who don't really know, it may be confusing!! We have a big ole' family!!

Grammy- my mom

Papa- my dad

Nanny- my sister (Tripp's godmother)

Uncle Jason- my brother

MeMe- Randy's mom

Paw Paw Carey- Randy's step-dad

Uncle Ryan- Randy's brother

Paw Paw Moose- Randy's dad

Nana- Randy's step-mom

Aunt Becca- Randy's sister

Aunt Nay Nay- Randy's sister

Okay, so that's just so you can have an idea of who I'm talking about when I use the names Tripp uses!! I know, we've got a LOT of LOVE!! Isn't it great?? And that's just immediate family. You should see the rest!!! We are SOME lucky!! Family and friends... WOW, we are really blessed. There is not a day that goes by that I don't wonder why God sent Tripp to Randy and I. And I always tell myself that it's because we have the physical and moral support that to get through this and to take care of this baby. Thank all of YOU for the moral support!!

Smiles!!!

Sitting up like a big boy!

Okay, don't call child services,... he really did like it, though it may not look like it.

Every child needs to play in a box, don't you think?

This is the box all of his supplies come in.... I get two boxes this size a month!!

My Tiny Elf...

"Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led - but it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of FAITH, not of understanding and reason- a life of knowing Him who calls us to go."

-Oswald Chambers

Who Dat Say Gonna Beat 'Dem Saints....

Goooo Saints!!  Hey guys.  Things are going okay. Today was a little better than the last couple of days. He is still just so miserable from these stinkin sores in his mouth. So the latest is: I could not get back in touch with the dentist we saw at Children's hospital, so I took it upon myself to e-mail the dentist in Cincinnati yesterday. She e-mailed right back and gave me her cell to call her at home... she was SOO incredibly nice. She said she was going to try and get in touch with the dentist here and let me know something back. Meanwhile, Tripp's pediatrician was trying her best to help, too. So she got me in touch with another dentist from LSU that works at Children's hospital also. So to make a looooong story short... something is finally getting done. Tripp has another appointment with this new dentist here on Thursday, and then we will see where we need to go from there. If they talk together and decide his mouth is bad enough to take the teeth out, then we will have them taken out. The Cincinnati dentist said that she would recommend pulling the 4 top and 4 bottom but trying to cap the molars instead of pulling those. 'Sigh'... I know, poor kid. Just when we think that things are starting to get better, something else comes up. AND NOW, I think he might (might) be starting to have some problems with his eyes. Go freaken figure. Corneal abrasions is common in EB, and it seems like Tripp is trying them ALL out. Now I don't know for sure, but he's been doing some really weird things with his eyes. First of all, he is rubbing them like a maniac! They've been red in a few spots and really watery. Sometimes it seems like they get stuck shut and he can't open them, he gets really really fussy and it lasts like a few minutes, then he seems okay. But he's been doing that pretty often. So if it continues a lot, then I guess we will go ahead and see an eye doctor, too. But right now I am concerned about his mouth the most. Poor, poor baby. That's kind of the reason I haven't written too much lately. I didn't want every post to be negative and depressing. Because that's kinda been my mood the past few days. I just want his pain to go away. I can handle all that I need to do to take care of him with a smile on my face... but it's hard to smile seeing him in so much pain all the time. And I'm not a big believer of all kinds of medicine, but I'm still giving the Motrin and Tylenol rotated around the clock.

On the up-side, he is one AMAZING child. He's now grabbing his sippy cup and biting it with his teeth. I don't know HOW he is able to do that. I wish I could get a close up picture of the inside of his mouth. I put ice water in the sippy cup, so maybe it just feels good in his mouth. I don't think he's sucking, so I don't know if he's actually getting any water, but he likes biting it. And I love when he can get it to his mouth :)

And did I mention how much he LOVES his Daddy. I think that quality time really did him some good. When Daddy comes home from work, it's like he's a little puppy dog wagging his tail. He moves his whole little body. SO cute. He'll do it for Mommy occasionally... but I have to act EXTRA silly. All Daddy has to do is talk. Ha.

So his new changing table is pretty cool. Aunt Davi and Uncle Ricky brought it over Sunday. Aunt Davi went and got the table and Uncle Ricky finished it in ONE day. Pretty awesome, huh? It has a lazy susan on top so I can spin him from side to side. And it's tall enough so that I can store his supplies underneath and hide them so that his room can fit his toys again. Here's the new table.

Storage!! Yay!

This material is just temporary until I find one I really like and someone who can make me some little curtains to cover the bottom.  And I have to make some covers for the lazy susan so I can just take them off and wash them.

And here are a few more random pics..

Look, Ma... NO HANDS!!

This was his "had to get a shot present..." I really think he's thinking...

"THIS is what you call a PRESENT??  A scary, singing duck?"

He wasn't impressed... as always.

This is by far our favorite thing!!  He always has just ONE leg up in the air.

Whether it's just diaper change, or bath, or whatever.  Haha....

"Chicks Dig Scars" ... You bet they do buddy!!

(check out the monkey's band-aid!)

"He said, 'If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.'"

- Exodus 15:26