**Fall 2011**

Happy Fall everyone!  Quite a bit going on since the last time I posted! 

September 17th, we celebrated our 3 YEAR KIDNEY-VERSARY! Can't believe it's been 3 years already.  So thankful! 

Our Tyler turned the BIG 5 on September 24th!  Time flies!!  He woke up that morning and said, "Even though im not 4 anymore, my voice still didn't change a bit!"

Here's a pic of him playing with cousin Bodie!  He's teaching him about cars :)

In October, we went to Seattle and had a visit with the ENT.  He recommended holding off on putting tubes in his ears or removing the adenoids.  He said the ears could eventually drain and put him on some nasal spray!  Phew!  Tyler actually does the spray all by himself :)  He is actually breathing a lot better at night and doesn't sound as stuffed up when he talks.  (Until he caught my cold this week..ugh) All in all, I think we're on the right track! 

This is his new Bichon Frise--his name is Buster.  He found him at the KOA Campground store.  He is a very low-maintenance dog.  Ha Ha!  For about a month, Buster did not have a name.  Tyler simply called him, "my Bichon Frise" (his pronunciation:  bijon freese).  One of the cutest things I've heard him say :) 

Halloween 2011--Tyler the Musketeer!

School is going well!  He has a great time.  We're still working on some listening issues, but I think things are looking up there :) 

New stuff: Added a page on this site for links to videos we've taken of Ty. Here is a link and it will also be on the main page.  Enjoy :)  Also, don't forget to check out the page of quotes from our little miracle.  I'm trying to keep up with all the crazy things he says.  To view the quotes, click on "Tyler says the darndest things" here or on the main page.  

Hope you and your families are doing well.  Happy Fall!

Stacy

PRE-SCHOOL!!!!!

"At some point you just have to stop praying for life to calm down and start thanking God for the strength He’s placed within you to handle the crazy!"~~~read this on a Facebook post, LOVE it!

Happy September!  Tyler started Preschool last week!  He did very well, no tears at all.  That was my fear-I didn't think he'd let me leave without tears.  He jumped right in and started playing, it was wonderful!  His teacher is Mrs. D and he loves her!  Here are some pictures:

Leaving home :)

 This one really gets me....

Don't worry, I didn't stay the whole time, these last 2 pictures are courtesy of his teacher :)

Medically, he is still doing pretty well.  The cold/congestion he has had all summer long hasn't resolved completely yet.  It sounds like he may have to have ear tubes put in & maybe have his adenoids removed.  We see the docs in a few weeks to find out.  His ears don't hurt him, there is just a lot of fluid and he is really congested.  Our amazing Dr. Garver suggested Zyrtec and boy did things start moving out!  So we'll see how the ears look in a few weeks and go from there. 

Hope all is well with you and your families.  Thanks for reading! 

Take care & God Bless!  Stacy

Busy summer!

August already!!  Wow, summertime always goes so fast.  We've been very busy!!  Took Tyler out to Seattle for checkups the week of July 21.  Everything looks pretty good!  They did see a cyst in his kidney, but they said sometimes that can be normal.  They are just going to do another ultrasound in 6 months to make sure it hasn't grown.  He is still trying to fight off the cold he caught back in June, but it's not slowing him down much, thankfully.

We took him to Silverwood on the trip also.  He had a ball.  His favorite ride was "fly like a butterfly" and he LOVED all the Garfield stuff out there :)  Here's a picture of him riding on the airplanes:

He also went on the Paratrooper ride with me.  It was pretty high up!!  He's a brave kid though, didn't bother him a bit, as you can see from the smile on his face :)

I took him to the fair and his favorite thing was the Bungee cord bouncer thing.  Not sure what the real name is.  He was completely fearless.  So cool to see him be able to do something like that.  Here's a picture of him flying high!!

Yesterday was a big day.  He peed standing up!!!  We've been excited about him being able to urinate since the day he was born (due to his condition) so why stop celebrating now!!!?  Ah my little boy is growing up.  Preschool starts next month!!! 

Hope you and your families are well.  God Bless!! Stacy

All Ears..

Well the cold led to an ear infection, so we treated it with antibiotics.  Yesterday, he was complaining of the other ear hurting, so I took him back in & BOTH ears are infected!  Ugh!!  So trying a different antibiotic this time.  He seems to feel pretty good, thankfully.  And I'm SO thankful that it is a "typical" illness we're dealing with!  It's so crazy how this kind of thing is such a relief.  It's so much better than him being admitted, having to go through as much as he has.  Ok, enough of that.  Glad we are where we are :) 

He's been having a pretty good summer all in all!  We went to Malta & visited Grandma Lila for a few days.  While we were there, we visited the dinosaur museum so he LOVED that!  We have to go to Seattle this month for routine check-ups, so hoping those go well.  Have a good July!!  Stacy

Happy Spring??? :)

Doesn't really feel like June, but I know pretty soon it will be 90!  Hope all of you are well.  Tyler is doing pretty good, he got over the UTI only using oral anti-biotics...what a blessing!  We have had to do labs 4 times in the last 4 weeks, trying to regulate one of his drug levels, ugh!  Poor guy.  He has a bit of a runny nose, but I'm hoping it's just a minor thing. 

Last weekend, he was the ring bearer in my cousin's wedding.  He looked so dang handsome!!  Lots more pictures to follow!  He didn't quite make it down the aisle when he was supposed to, but Tyler usually does things on his own schedule, so I'm not too surprised :)  I'm just happy he wore the outfit! He came up to the altar when he wanted to and stood next to us girls.  Then took almost a 3 hour nap afterwards, missing the reception.  Worn out!  That's ok, he doesn't really like crowds & loud music anyway.  He had a lot of fun playing with his little cousin Campbell.  It's always so good to see him hanging out with other kids. 

Our next appointment in Seattle is in July.  He only has to be seen by them every 3 months now, so that's really nice!  Thanks for reading, take care!  Stacy

Bad news/Good news time...

Tyler's urine sample shows Ecoli---again! ugh...but he has only complained a couple of times about a tummy ache, no fever. Good news--after hearing the history with the last 4 uti's in the last 2.5 years, Seattle says, let's start him on Bactrim & see if we can kick this. YAY!!!!! No cath urine sample, no nasty Rocephin shots, Iv's or anything awful like that, as of now!!! I LOVE this plan, just hope it kicks it. Maybe it was caught very early & we'll kill it soon. Thanking God for good news today, I was starting to dread what I thought was the inevitable. And we still could be heading there, but fingers crossed he doesn't get "worse" over the weekend. Think I'll put him back in diapers at night. No sense having the kid hold his pee all night long when we have him pee so often during the day. That's just my Mommy thought for how to control this possible UTI business for now.

Little bump in the road

Tyler continues to grow and thrive!   A week after we got home from Tyler's Make A Wish trip, Tyler was admitted to the Great Falls hospital diagnosed with Rotavirus and also got a urinary tract infection.  It was very scary, and very painful for him.  After spending almost a week at Benefis, Seattle decided they wanted to check him over.  We flew out on Mercy Flight and he was admitted there for one night.    He fought it off and the kidney didn't sustain any damage, thankfully.  It is a common virus that a lot of kids get, just harder for him to get rid of since his immune system is suppressed.  Since he's been home, he has been eating and drinking better than he ever has.  He also is pretty much potty trained because the little guy is so terrified he'll have to have the catheter put back in, bless his heart.  Through it all, as always, he remains in good spirits and keeps everyone happy and laughing.  Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, they are truly what helps us get through all this.  Stacy

Mommy starts a blog!!

Hi everyone!  Welcome to Tyler's new page!!  I apologize for not keeping in touch better, this will change that, I'm sure.  I just need to figure out how this blog stuff works.  I have a list of those who were following his other site, so I'll invite everyone from there to follow him here.  Of course if you hear that I missed someone, please let me know or give them the link:  http://miracleoftyler.blogspot.com/ 

Tyler is doing amazingly well.  As most probably know, we just returned from his Make a Wish trip to Disney World.  It was unbelievable.  Lots of pictures & stories to come!  His health is great, we are so blessed. I hope it continues for him.He is also starting to eat & drink very well on his own...and potty training!!!  He turned 4 last September, so he'll start pre-school this fall!  Time flies. Until next time....take care & God bless!  Stacy