Lewis Jess Pease

Make-over giveaway

2010-03-05T16:55:00.000-08:00

to all my girlfriends you gotta check out this blog. its all about beauty and fashion called The Beauty Mark and they are doing a Make-Over Giveaway!!! If your the lucky winner you'll get a
FREE hair cut, color, and style
& a FREE makeup overhaul including a lesson and application and FREE makeup
& a FREE photo session!!!
Go check it out!

SNOWBOARDING

2010-02-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

i got to go snowboarding with the jr last week & it was such a blast. Alvin & I both got to board for free so we couldnt pass up the chance to go. i didnt get to go last year since i was pregnant so i was a little worried about getting back on my board but its just like riding a bike! i just love boarding... it was fun to go with my two little sisters too. they are going to be good boarders....

Me & Emma

Maryssa & I

silly faces...my silly face kinda got cut off.

New Video of Lewis

2010-01-29T18:13:00.000-08:00

this is mostly for the grandparents. we finally got fast internet so i can upload videos! isnt lewis the cutest kid u have ever set eyes on??? i sure think so...

Christmas & New Years 2009

2010-01-20T15:01:00.000-08:00

We had such a great Christmas & new years. we were able to spend christmas eve with the Pease family & christmas day Lewis & I drove up to heber to be with all my family. i didnt take any pictures while we were up north. im sad because my parents had the biggest tree & i didnt even get a picture of it with Lewis... i really need to do better about taking pictures & recording special events.

here are some pics from christmas eve & new years.

Lewis playing with a musical reindeer. he thought it was hillarious...

story time & hot cocoa with grandma Lewis.

hanging out.

passover dinner. this was soo cool!

NEW YEARS at the Pease's. enjoying some cider & candy..

Lewis playing with grandpa..
Sydney & Lewis. cutest kids ever!!
aunt myreel pushing Lewis in the baby stroller.
he loves when grandma gives him baths.. he makes the silliest faces.
soo happy when he is in water

look at those big chompers he has!!
we had fun doing a puzzle..

Lewis playing with a police car. he is just like dad!

Feeding the Ducks

2010-01-20T14:55:00.000-08:00

I love taking Lewis to the parks on days that the weather is nice. its so fun & we both enjoy getting out of the house. the park we go to has lots of ducks & pigeons. i seriously got a little scared when we started feeding them & like a hundred pigeons flew from outta nowhere. they r brave & will eat right outta your hands.

seriously look at all of them! they were everywhere & would eat a whole piece of bread in like 2 seconds. they would have ate the bread bag if i let them...

Rillito River Run

2010-01-07T18:11:00.000-08:00

wow i cannot believe how far behind i am on updating my blog. On December 11th i ran i my first ever 10k (6.2miles) race. It was super fun & i got to run it with my mom which made it even more fun. it was in Tuscon so we headed down friday night & stayed with my aunt lorayne who also ran in the race with us. Friday night we went to Winterhaven. A whole neighborhood goes all out & decorates for christmas. they close down the roads thru the neighborhood because of all the people who go to see the lights. here are my favorite houses.

this house was cool. they had the water going off to christmas music.

a gingerbread house. love it..
My beautiful mother, lil sister maryssa, lewis & me

Lewis & momma
of course he was sick of the stroller so i carried him most the time.
so happy!! he loved all the lights.
so now on to the big race. i was soo nervous since it was my first race & i didnt know what to expect. it was pretty hard the first 3 miles but once i made it past mile 3 it got a little easier for some reason. i just tryed to keep up with some girls ahead of me. they got farther & farther away though... but i still did great. i finished in 53 minutes. an average of 8 min 40 seconds per mile. i finished 3rd in my age group & 23rd overall. i won $10 bucks to dicks sporting goods for taking 2nd in my age group (even though i really took 3rd the girl who took 1st overall was from my age group so they dropped her so therefore i got 2nd place prize).

the group before the race.

me after the race. waiting for my mom.

YES I DID IT!!!

mom finishing strong.

the group after the race! we did it!!

it was so cute having Lewis there waiting at the finish line. for some reason he kept laughing at me for no reason. i musta looked really funny or something.
seriously how cute is he.

so now i am training for another 10k in february. Its for a great cause & alot of my family is coming to run in it also. All proceeds from the race will go to The Congenital Heart Foundation at St. Joseph's to help families who are battling tough defects. It will help provide Transportation costs so parents can be at the hospital as much as possible (gas cards & bus passes), help w/ bills, and provide a fund for those who lose a child & need help w/ creamation or casket expenses). im so excited to run for such a good cause. im even more excited to have lots of family & friends come run in it. We will also be celebrating Lewis's 1st birthday. wow i cant believe its almost been a year. so anyone & everyone come run in the race then join us for a birthday bash! go here to get more info on the race & to sign up.

The Phoenix Zoo

2009-12-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

Monday we were able to go to the Phoenix zoo. The weather was soo nice. we hadnt been in soo long. we went & stayed the whole day looking at ALL the animals. Alvin didnt want to waste the money we spent to get in so he had to get his moneys worth. it was a long day but Lewis was soo good & i think he enjoyed all the fresh air.

Lewis was soo excited he got to sit on papas shoulders.

checking things out, while im checking them out. i just LOVE these two.

Lewis & his silly faces. he is such a goof ball

all pooped out. sleeping with his zebra uncle Trey gave him.

feeding the goats. he wanted to grab them soo bad.

fun day at the zoo!!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-04T13:49:00.001-08:00

We had a great thanksgiving. Thanks to the Pease family who came to phoenix so we would be able to be with them on thanksgiving. Alvin had to work so we werent going to be able to be with them but they sacrificed for us & had it here. we did everything at Branson & tiffs new home. it was perfect! thanks so much Pease fam. for having it here so we could be apart of all the celebrations. We had so much fun shopping, being together, watching movies & of course all the yummy food. i ate way to much.

i am soo grateful for such an amazing husband. we have had a great year & have been soo blessed. i am grateful for the job he has & that i am able to stay at home with Lewis. i am also grateful for our temple marriage & the blessing that has been in our life.

we were able to go to the temple with all the endowed members in the pease family. it was so nice to be there with family. dang my hubby is HOT!

i am soo grateful for the miracle of little Lewis. not a day goes by that i dont realize what a miracle & blessing he is. he brings us such JOY.

the Alvin Pease family on thanksgiving day!

my baby is 9 months today.

2009-11-24T12:18:00.001-08:00

i cant believe my baby is getting so big. he is just the sweetest little guy. i have soo enjoyed these past 9 months. we have been threw alot together but thats what makes every little second with lewis special. i know he is here for a special reason & i just hope i can be the bestest mom to him. he has already taught me soo many things. things i thought i never would have or want to learn but boy is he worth it. He brings so much joy & laughter to our family. every day is a good day because we have him in our home. enjoy these pictures of my little man. he is the cutest little guy & these pictures prove it...

playing with dad..

say cheese!
he loves to sit on top of the couch & slide down. he thinks its soo fun!
loves bath time. he would stay in there for an hour if i let him. he is always mad when i take him out.
he is everywhere. he learned how to climb onto things & he loves to climb on the dishwasher & get the silverware.

checking himself out..

he destroyed a piece of bread.
so fun & happy.
me & my little guy. happy 9 months Lewis. your parents LOVE you. xoxoXOXO

Happy late Halloween

2009-11-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

so i know its almost thanksgiving & i am finally getting to post Lewis's halloween pics. He was going to go as a cat but we decided to dress him up as a lion. my aunt tiff was kind enough to let us borrow it. It looked so adorable on lewis. he didnt so much like the hat though. We went to my aunt Jamis house & had homemade soup & bread. it was delicous. its always great to be with family. i seriously have the most amazingest family!

he would have made a cute kitty cat.

the cutest Lion you will ever see.

next year will be way more fun since he didnt know what the heck was going on this year.

Jocelyns Wedding

2009-11-16T08:02:00.000-08:00

wow this is a long overdue post. i dont know why i have been slacking so bad on the blog. oh wait i know. i have a very active little one to take care of and the only free time i get is when he is peacfully sleeping. i use that precious time to clean the house & make sure my husband is feed for the day. it seems like everyday comes and goes in the blink of an eye. i hate it. i need more hours in a day so i can get all the things done i want to get done.
so Jocelyns wedding was soo beautiful. everything was perfect. It was great to be with family & even greater to see jocelyn get married in the temple. it was a beautiful ceremony & of course jocelyn looked stunning. they had a reception in Kingman & it turned out soo beautiful. i think these pictures show just how beautiful it was! enjoy.

My father in law made that cool canopy of lights. it looked awesome.

my sister in laws Kendra & Delon
The cupcake tower. such a cute idea.
the dance floor

all the pease girls.
my boys.
family pic. that dang hair of mine is driving me crazy... other than that its a great family pic.

the Bride. soo beautiful.

Lewis & I
Lewis with Grandma Lewis.
Me & the hubby.

these r a few of my favorite things

2009-10-06T20:21:00.002-07:00

-the weather. its amazing right now.

-walks with Lewis. now that its cooled down we can venture outside. he loves it & i love it more.

-these two are by far my favorite. love them. love spending time with both of them.

-love bath time. it makes Lewis soo happy.

Lewis at 7 months.

2009-10-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

i cant believe my baby is 7 months. i dont even think i can call him a baby anymore. he is growing up faster than i would like. last time i updated he was still loving his bouncer & swing. those have long been put in storage. we have upgraded to a walker & he loves to sit up & crawl. yes crawl. he isnt fast yet but he can get around pretty good. so he no longer wants to just sit still in my arms & be held. he is sooo sooo active. i have a feeling he is going to keep me very busy once he starts walking.
he looks like a big boy in this pic.

last week lewis was really fussy & was running a fever. i was soo afraid he was getting the flu so we took him into the drs just too be safe. while we were in the waiting room i was soo paranoid he was going to catch something from one of the other kids. he is soo happy & smiley that other kids want to play with him & touch him. so i was pretty rude when the kids came over to us. i was shocked that the parents would even let the kid come near us since he was sick. ugh. i hate going to the drs. anyway the dr checked him out & he didnt have a virus so i came to the conclusion that he was just teething. and sure enough 2 days later his teeth are starting to show & i can feel them when he chews on my finger. thank goodness it wasnt anything serious.

here we are at the drs. i have major sacks under my eyes. probably from the fact that lewis was so fussy i had like 4 hours of sleep the past couple days. he looks happy as always.

lewis also loves to stand. i always hold him while he stands against stuff & he loves it. the other night i put him to bed then i went in to check on him & he was standing up holding onto the railing. so apparently he can pull himself up. what next?

also we got new family pictures! a friend of Alvins (amanda) took our pictures as a gift for us. soo sweet right? she is the nicest person & soo very talented. if anyone needs family pics shes your girl! see more of her work at http://stephanville.com/asp/
she is also doing a giveaway so enter to win on her website!! u might get lucky.
these are just a FEW of my favorites!

tell me what pics are your favorites. i want to blow some up for Lewis's room & around the house. so let me know what ones you like best.

lots happening in the Pease family.

2009-09-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

Congrats to my sister in law Jocelyn for getting engaged over labor day! she is enganged to Mike McHugh from safford. they are such a cute couple! i am soo excited for Jocelyn & Mike. they are getting married in october so we have lots of planning ahead. im in charge of her bridal shower here in phoenix so im excited for that! if anyone has suggestions on how to throw a good bridal shower let me know. this will be my first one so im new to the whole thing.

here is the beautiful couple! they are so happy & in love!

Sept 11, 2009 Branson & Tiffany had their baby. a beautiful baby girl. they named her Sidney Faye Pease. Mom & baby are doing great. They also just bought their first home in queen creek! what an exciting time for them! a new baby & a new home. i couldnt be happier for them. Congrats on the new baby & home! we love ya guys..

isnt she beautiful... she is so tiny & precious.

what a cute family!

Labor Day

2009-09-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

we had such a blast over Labor day. we went up north to Heber to spend time with the Tenney family. Amanda & david blessed their little guy on sunday so we couldnt miss out on that. Kolten is the cutest baby! its going to be so fun when lewis & him get older & can play together. they are only like 3 months apart. Lewis better start growing though because kolten is already as big as him. just look at what a cutie Kolten is. i could just kiss on him all day!

the weather up there was awesome! i enjoyed riding bikes with my mom, amanda & david. my mom is crazy in shape & i hate to admit that she is in better shape then me. she is training for a 10k run up in pinetop & she has to run up hill for like a mile. i just love working out with my madre! i hope i look as good as her when i grow up! seriously she is beautiful. inside & out. i love this picture of her & my dad.

we got family pictures since we had all the family there. My amazing amazing aunt Tiff took them. she did an awesome job & is soo fun. i just love her. ya hear that aunt tiffy. i flippin LOVE YA! seriously i dont think i could say that enough. anyway here are some of the pics she took. (she also took the one of kolten & my parents thats above)
my little sister Maryssa. soo beautiful & grown up.. i cant believe she is old enough to start wearing makeup...

sisters make the best of friends. seriously i love these girls soo much.

kimmy! she is playing for chandler/gilbert again this year! hopefully they will kick some butt this year!

me with my 2 favorite guys in the whole wide world! they are so ridiciously good looking.

the whole tenny family!

monday we got to shuck about 1000 ears of corn. seriously there was soo much corn. it was a good thing we had alot of people helping or it would have taken a week to do all that work. my aunt tiffs kids were amazing. i think they worked harder than i did & they didnt stop till all the corn was done. here are some pics to show just how much corn we had.

alvin & i shucking away. dont mind my uglyness. i just ran 2 miles so im all red.
the truck filled with corn. we already had done a bunch when this pic was taken.
the boys canning!

this is Quin. he is pretty much the cutest little boy ever.
the boys hard at work.
look at all those kids helping! they were all soo good..
grandpa working away! love him.
this is my aunt tiffs boy miles. seriously look at that face! she has the cutest kids.

eating the corn! it was delicious.

favorite pics of Lewis this week & my work out partner

2009-09-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

I have to share my 2 favorite photos of Lewis this week. All the sudden he is growing soo fast. he is all over the place & wont ever hold still unless he is eating. He is soo fun. i weighed him the other day & he weighs 15 pounds. just like 2 weeks ago he was 13 &1/2. he loves to be on the ground & even though he cant crawl yet he goes round & round in circles & can go backwards but not forwards. enjoy these adorable pics!
oh he is soo adorable when he is sleeping..

he loves to sit up all the time. he is rarely happy if i lay him down. isnt he the cutest. i love his fuzzy hair & the droll coming out the mouth..

so im in the process of training for a Triathalon in Novemeber so i have been hitting the pool 2 times a week to work on swimming. im an aweful swimmer & i know swimming will be my biggest challenge. anyway the other day i was swimming when i noticed something swimming in the water. it was a little mouse! eww. he was just swimming around like crazy & was soo quick it took me like 5 minutes just to get the stupid thing outta the pool. i got my shoe & followed it around trying to flick it out of the water but everytime i tried it would swim away... eventually i got it out & it ran off. i think i need to take some lesson from that mouse because he was a way better swimmer than i. you can barely see him in this pic.. but i had to share anyway.

6 months old

2009-08-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

my baby isnt soo much a baby anymore. its really fun to see him grow & learn new things but sometimes i wish it didnt have to happen soo fast. here are a few new things about Lewis.

-He loves to sit up. he cant sit up on his own yet but he is soo close. i think within a week or two he will be doing it all be himself.

-He can roll over soo fast. he has now figured out how to roll back & forth so he can start out at one side of the room & end at the other. it wont be too long before he is crawling.

-We started feeding him rice cereal. he doesnt soo much like it. basically it goes in the mouth & right out. he is more interested in grabbing the spoon or bowl. feeding him always results in a huge mess...

-He still isnt sleeping through the night. anyone have any suggestions of how to make him sleep at least a full 6-8 hours long. rather than 3-4. im ready to get a good full nights sleep.

-he is still a happy smiley baby. he hardly ever cries. he is just soo relaxed & easy going. i just love playing with him & making him laugh. i could do that all day if i could.

-He is a strong little guy. he can stand on one leg & would stand all day long if i held him up. he is just solid. He weighs 13 &1/2 pounds.

-He recently found his feet & plays with them all day. we have caught him eating them a few times too.

he is crazy & i have to watch him close now since he can do things like this...

-He loves to chew on anything & everything. he also drolls everywhere..

Lewis. i love you more & more each day. you make me laugh & smile everyday no matter what. i know i can count on you to make me happy & brighten my day. i fell so blessed to stay at home with you & take care of you everyday. We are soo blessed to have dad support us in me staying home. he has a big responsibility to provide for us. he would do anything for you & i love watching his face light up when he sees you & you give him a big smile & laugh. we are soo blessed to have you in our lives. everday you are here is a huge reminder of the blessing we have been giving. you remind me to do what is right & to be obiedient in keeping the commandments so we can live worthy of you. you have been through more than i have been through in my whole life. you are a fighter & i will forever be grateful for you life. you have a special mission here on earth & im happy to be your mother. all my love. mom.

House sitting

2009-08-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

when we got back from the cabin we got to go house sit for uncle russ & aunt felicia. (my grandma Hancocks brother) they only live a few minutes away from us. they have such a nice home & a way nice pool that we basically lived in while we were staying there. It was soo nice to get out of our house. it was like a little stay vacation for us. we even had my little brothers & sisters come stay a night since they had 3 extra bedrooms. staying there really made me want a bigger house with a pool.... someday. anyway thanks uncle russ & aunt felicia for letting us watch your place. hopefully we did a good job so you will ask us to do it again!

dad trying to entertain Lewis while watching TV.

Lewis was loving their big bed.

oh what a sweet boy

Lewis loved the pool.

he is going to be a little fish when he grows up

sleeping with his favorite stuffed animal. his dog Max

Lewis with cousin Kolten. best buds already.

more pics from the cabin....

2009-08-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

Lewis loved the walk.

he loved it soo much he was asleep after the first 5 minutes.

daddy & lewis. i love these 2.

dad & devin. devin had just fallen down a ledge. it was pretty scary but he was ok & was able to walk back to the cabin.

Grandma pease with Lewis. he always grabs the persons shirt thats holden him like that right before he goes to sleep.

baby Delon & dad

Alvin cooling off.

Camilla & Me. love her.

Chizzy taking a break. we did a hardcore hike just to get to the cave. yes his shirt is drenched in sweat.

the gang. camilla. delon. kendra. myreel. me & chace

i cant wait till next years cabin trip. i wish we could go more than once a year... next year will be alot different since Lewis will be 1 years old. i have a feeling he is going to be a handful.

Angel Ethan

2009-08-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

i just read on Ethan's blog that he passed away today. Heidi was such a good friend to our family while we were at st joes. She was such a great example to me. i remember the first time we meet her & we told her Lewis was our first. she said "i know going through this with your first probably scares you to death to have more kids but dont be scared"... she is such an example to me of having faith. My thoughts & prayers are with the skidmore family today as they say goodbye to little Ethan. He went through soo much the 6 months he was here. Please say a prayer for the skidmore family. even if you dont know them.. i know soo many people prayed for Lewis that i didnt know & that helped get us through everything. so please say a little prayer for the sweet skidmore family.

Kingman visit

2009-08-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

August 11th-18th:
Lewis & I were soo lucky to come up to Kingman & spend a whole week with the Pease family. My in-laws had a funeral on Aug 11th in phoenix so they just took Lewis & I home with them. We have been soo spoiled while we have been here & didnt want to leave of course. Lewis has been kissed on & held 24-7. he is one lucky boy to have such good aunts that love on him & take such good care of him.
the first night we were there we needed a center piece at dinner so we decided to put lewis on the spinny thing. it was hillarious.

Wednesday the 12th we went to St George utah to see Annie the play. A lady in their ward had given them free tickets & they even had an extra one so i got to go. It was such a good play & we have been singing the songs from Annie all week long. Lewis was a little champ at the play and never cried once. He would just stand on Myreel's or my lap & watch the play.

Myreel & Lewis

Camilla & Lewis

Delon & Lewis

so happy

my little Mozart.

rock on dude.

he loves to sit up now.

we got some swim shorts for Lewis but they were 18 months & he didnt quite fill them out.

oh my goodness. what are you people doing to me!!!
excuse me professor

he feel asleep while holding myreels necklace.
isnt he soo handsome.
i could just kiss that face all day
seriously. whats not to LOVE?
Lewis's twin.
pretty boy. he is always being called a girl when we go out. even though he is always in BLUE. come on people. he is a BOY!
Myreel & Me. it was soo fun hanging with her & Julianne. we did p90x everyday & laughed LOTS. i miss you girls.

We have been swimming almost everyday & Lewis just loves the water. They had a little blow up seat for him & he was just loving that.
A few of us swimming. Me, Lewis, Devin, little Delon, Kendra & Camilla

kinda a creepy face. but hillarious at the same time. you can tell how much he loves the water! im Lewis. king of the pool. and theres nothing you guys can do about it..

Its a GIRL...

2009-08-18T11:55:00.001-07:00

August 8th 2009
Tiffany & Branson are having a girl next month so her sister & good friend threw her a baby shower. Tiffany is pretty much the cutest pregnant girl! she is all belly.. she got some way cute stuff at her shower. We are soo excited for tiffany & branson. Lewis cant wait to have a little cousin to play with. they will be good pals. We just cant wait to meet her!!

Tiffanys mom Judy, Tiff & mother-in-law Delon

She got some of the cutest outfits.

The cutest little yellow swimsuit. she is going to be adorable in her styling clothes.

Lewis with his future girlfriend Emily. Emily is tiffanys sisters Melissa's little girl. she is just a little younger than Lewis. Melissa has the cutest 3 little girls.

Only a few more weeks till she is here!! ill be sure to update once she gets here.

Fun at the Cabin

2009-08-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

July 24-29 we were able to go to the cabin up in the Graham mountains. its always a blast to be at the cabin. we would have stayed a whole week if we could have. the weather especially was perfect... when we left the mountains to come home it was a cool 77 degrees. we enjoyed playing lots of card games & of course a few games of aquire. We all had so much fun playing sardines in the tall ferns. it was just play play play all day long. Lewis especially loved it because he gets spoiled by his aunts whenever we are with them. the only time i got to hold him was at night when everyone was asleep.

Jocelyn did my hair one day & Alvin decided he wanted to bleach his hair. it was pretty funny...

Aunt Jocelyn & Lewis. Jocelyn is soo good with Lewis. she even watched him during the night one night so i could get an undisturbed sleep. it was soo incredibly nice.

Lewis & cards

we start them young in our family

soo adorable.

Lewis with great grandma Lewis. he loves her voice & would just stare up at her

The whole gang at dinner. My brother Chace was able to come with us. it was fun having him there. He is such a fun person to be around.

playing games with Grandma Lewis

Lewis with Grandpa Pease

Lewis in his cute little beanie.

Lewis with Aunt Kendra

never do that again....

2009-07-15T20:58:00.001-07:00

this morning i was peacefully sleeping when Alvin came running thru the door. He yelled "Jessie somethings wrong with the baby" (he had taken the baby from me this morning so i could get a few more hours of sleep) so the way he said it totally freaked me out & i got out of bed faster than a bullet coming out of the barrel. Alvin ran out of the room & i ran out after him downstairs where the baby was. i get to the middle of the stairs & see the baby smiling away bouncing in his bouncer... i was a little upset to say the least that Alvin had done that. i thought my worst nightmare was coming true & something was wrong with Lewis. i was getting ready to dial 911 thinking something was truely wrong. so what was the real reason Alvin got me out of bed like that? He had made me a big breakfast to surprise me with the sweetest note. Where he got the idea to wake me up that way i have no idea. i was literally sick to my stomach after he did that. i told him he was no longer allowed to ever do that to me unless it was really an emergency. but i at least have to tell Alvin thanks for the breakfast & sweet note. he sure does keep things interesting around here. I LOVE him more than words could ever say (yes i love him even when he does things like that to me).

its so nice to get notes like this every once in a while. i like to keep them out so i can read them everyday... it helps me remember that my hubby loves & appreciates everything i do. Thanks babe! xoxo

i have to admit i LOVE being a stay at home mom. taking care of Lewis is the best job. being a mother is better then i ever could of dreamed. i feel so blessed to stay home with him.
here we are watching one of our favorite shows Phineas & Ferb

this show is soo cute. its hillarious & whenever its on Lewis will just sit & chill with me on the couch. am i soo lame that i love the disney channel? i know im too old but i cant help but love Hannah Montana, Suite life on Deck, wizard of waverly place, etc.... i like Miley cyrus & all her music. i think thats a sign that i need to get out more or something. anyone up for a playdate with me & Lewis??

Also ive been trying to excersize everyday & its soo hard for me to stay inside & excersize. anyone have any suggestions on what i should do for workouts. im going crazy doing the same workout videos day after day. i can only do turbo jam & the firm soo much before it gets old. i wish it wasnt soo dang HOT so i could go running outside but that wont happen for a long time.. anyway i would love any suggestions on what works for you.

2009-07-14T22:02:00.001-07:00

Lewis & I got picked up by my parents on wednesday to head up north to stay with them for the 4th of July celebrations. Alvin of course had to work so he missed out on all the festivities. hopefully next year he will be able to go. poor guy just misses out on all the fun. i feel like im of playing every week while he is at work. he works sooo hard so i can stay home with the baby & i can never thank him enough for letting me stay at home. it sure does put alot of stress on him being the only one working. anyway we had a great time in Heber. here are a few of the things we did while we were there...

-got out of the scorching heat. they have such cool nights up there.
-got to see LOTS of family.
-played lots of volleyball, badminton, ladder toss & of course we played a few card games.
-ate yummy food
-excersized with my mom every morning. something i look forward to everytime we go up to visit.(i hate to admit that she is probably in better shape than me)
-watched some amazing fireworks & got to see some old friends for high school. (love you girls)

i didnt take alot of pics while we were there. i was too busy having soo much fun with the fam! we had everyone there except Alvin. He got there sunday & we had a great family meeting & my dad shared the sweetest testimony with all of us. I sure do have awesome parents. i dont know what i would do without their LOVE & SUPPORT. especially this year going through everything with Lewis. They were right there beside Alvin & I the whole time. they made things a whole lot easier for us. Thanks Mom & Dad for everything! i can never say that enough... We love ya!!!

Lewis missed his daddy. Here they are catching up on some much needed zzzz's

Lewis still loves his bouncy chair. Here he is playing while we were out slip n sliding. he is such a good baby.

Lewis has taking a interest in holding his bottle. its so fun to work with him! he tries soo hard to hold it by himself. its funny though because most of the time he puts the nipple in his eye. or anywhere else besides his mouth. hence the reason why there is milk all over his adorable face.

Hi MOM!!!

dang this boy makes me sooo happy! he looks like a big boy in this pic.

He LOVES to stand up. he is getting soo strong.

we cant wait for next weekend when we get to be with the Pease family up at the cabin. it stinks not being close to them.. we dont get to see them nearly as much as we would like. its gonna be soo nice to get out of the HEAT too! its sooo dang hot here. ill be sure to take my camera so i can take lots of pics up at the cabin!

4 months

2009-06-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

Lewis is 4 months old today. why does time have to go by so quick? Lewis is getting too big. He rolled over for the first time last week. his personality is coming out more & more each day. He is soo happy all the time. unless you wake him up from a nap. he is soo like his dad in every way. He had an echocardiogram (aka echo) today. He had no meds in him & he is doing soo well. there are still a few issues but nothing to be too concerned about right now. He will most likely have a minor surgery when he is 1 years old. His cardiologist said there is a 1 in 5 chance of him having to have a open heart surgery again. i sure hope he wont ever have to go through that again. im soo attached to him now i think it would be alot harder than the first time. we are just trying to be positive about everything. i try not to think a whole lot about the future. the other day Alvin said what i have been wondering for a long time... he said i wonder how long Lewis will live, how long his little heart & repairs will hold up. i hate thinking about that & i hate to think what life would be like without him here. i just need to put all that aside & enjoy every minute of every day i have with him. he is a miracle & he has brought me soo much joy & happiness. i have learned soo much about what is important in life. what truely matters. this is an experience i wouldnt trade for anything.
anyway enough of that. Here is a pic of Lewis at the drs. today. He was soo good. he only cried for about 15 minutes during his echo & they worked on him for well over an hour. getting him to hold still is pretty much impossible. he is always kicking & his arms are all over the place!

He loves to do tummy time. ever since he figuered out how to roll over he loves it. He is also starting to drewl (sp)

He is always smiling. i love that about him. everytime he smiles i have to smile with him.. its contagious

MOM & DAD LOVE YOU LEWIS!!! thanks for the best 4 months of our lives!! xoxo

so i just turned around after posting this & Lewis was asleep in his swing holding his chewy. i couldnt resist another picture. gosh i love him.

Twins....

2009-06-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

so Alvin decided the other day that he didnt want to be the only one in the family with no hair so he decided, on his own, that he was going to shave Lewis's hair off. So he took him in the bathroom, locked the door just in case i came downstairs, and shaved his head. once he finished he brought him upstairs where i was and i didnt notice at first cuz he has always been bald in the front then he turned him around & i noticed all his hair was gone... Alvin said "now we are really twins" i just died laughing... he looks cute with our without his hair, but ill admit i do miss the little hair he had. i wish i had pics that showed Lewis with hair but i couldnt find any. i guess i wasnt expecting it to all be gone just like that but i guess i never know whats gonna happen with Alvin as my hubby.

the back of his head.

he is pretty dang cute all bald...like a little old man.

this is the mess i found downstairs in the bathroom. i didnt realize how much hair he had till i saw it all on the towel.

Lewis loves his swing now. he will just sit there and coo at the little animals on the mobile. he is such a happy smiley baby. and look at how fat he is getting. He is finally starting to fill out. we meet with his cardiologist on the 24th to have an echo & see how he is doing without being on Viagra (aka sildenifil). they told me last appointment that Lewis will have to have a surgery when he is around 1 year of age. luckily they said it most likely wont be open heart surgery again so that was great news. i dont think i could stand to see Lewis go thru all that again. we are grateful every day for the progress he has made & continues to make. he is such a JOY to have in our family. i dont know what i would do without him. everyday i smile & laugh because of him. im so grateful & blessed that i didnt have to go back to work & leave Lewis. i dont want to miss a thing in this little boys life.

Lewis is such a chill baby. i just hope his eyes stay blue!!

doing tummy time on daddys chest. he loves his Dad!

they have the same wrinkley forhead. i love how they are making the same face in this pic. i just LOVE my boys & cant get enough of um.

awesome new pics....

2009-06-02T23:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my amazingly talented aunt Tiff we got some pics of Lewis when we were up north 2 weeks ago. he was such a wiggle worm when we were taking them. he is such a fun baby & always smiling. i dont know how i got soo lucky. im already complaining that he is growing up too fast. i wish i could just slow things down. anyway enjoy these beautiful pics!!

HEART....

2009-05-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

my dad wrote the sweetest poem the day after Lewis was born. He was having a hard time sleeping & this is what came of it... I still cry when i read it. It brings back all the emotions of when he was born & preparing for his surgery. Lewis is now 3 months old & i feel so bleesed to have him in my life. I hold him close everyday & thank my Heavenly Father to still have him here. i trace that little scare down his chest & think of all he/we have been through. He has changed my life for the better & taught me things i never thought i would have to learn. thanks Lewis for the Best 3 months of my life! we HEART you!!

This was taken last week when i was up north visiting. Emma (my lil sis) and me were having some fun with Lewis. GOT MILK?

Dad & Lewis...

Heavenly father has sent us today this little bundle of joy-
to remind us of the sacredness of life and how in Gods service we are all employed.

Every day, minute, and second you are here is Gods gift to us-
we lovingly cherish each moment and in Him we put our trust.

Against all odds your tiny heart beats true-
we have witnessed the Lords tender mercies being manifest through you.

Running, walking and smiling I can see for you on the distant horizon-
because you see my son you have been blessed with the heart of a Lion.

Together Forever our family will be-
our circle of Love is mom, dad and now Lil Louie.

Trip to Kingman again!!!

2009-05-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

so we came back to kingman for mothers day weekend. Alvin was nice enough to let me stay for the rest of the week. My awesome mother in law is taking us to meet alvin half way today once he gets off work. it was soo nice to get some sleep. i would take care of Lewis during the night & my mother in law Delon would come get him around 5 in the morning so i could get more sleep. Lewis has been waking up every 2 hours to eat so it makes for a pretty exhausting night. i think he is just trying to make up for lost time. he is getting bigger by the second. his legs are filling out quit nicely. He is just the best baby. he hardly ever cries & is always smiling & cooing. He is just growing up too fast. he is almost 3 months old. i wish time would slow down...
anyway Lewis is having a blast being in kingman. he is passed from one aunt to the other & the girls are constantly complaining that its there turn to hold Lewis. we just aww at every little thing he does. He brings soo much happiness to our family! here are a few of the many pictures that were taking this week....

Mom & Dad took all us couples out for dinner. it was soo nice to get out!!

we sure have missed Alvin these past couple of days. Thanks babe for working soo hard to provide for our family. if anyone deserves a vacation from work its you..

Here is Lewis winking at the camera...

he is just soo beautiful. its hard not to kiss all over him when he is sleeping.

Lewis with grandma Pease.

Kiss #999 of the day... haha. he sure does love his grandma.

Myreel was just as tired as Lewis.

Here are a few of my favorite pics that were taking...he always raises his eyebrows all funny.

such a cutie.

kiss #1000 of the day. Aunt camilla is soo good with Lewis. talk about a natural. love Lewis's face...

To infinite & beyond!!!

He kicks soo much now. he just cant hold still. he is constantly hitting himself in the face with his hands. he is just out of control!!!

Kendra kissing on Lewis. She is soo adorable. i think Lewis looks a little like her.

aunt Delon with baby Lewis. doesnt get much cuiter than this!

Aunt Camilla & Lewis. she takes such good care of him.

Uncle Devin & Lewis. he is soo good with him. he loves his uncle dev.

the aunties with lewis. he sure does get alot of attention while he is here.

Baby Shower

2009-05-14T09:49:00.000-07:00

My lovely cousin Jamilyn just emailed me the pictures from the baby shower her & my big sis amanda threw for Lewis. It was soo nice of them to make all the food & find a place to have it. Thanks aunt Felicia for letting us use your house. Your the best & we sure do love ya!! Thanks to everyone who came & for all the awesome gifts.

The whole group! thanks girlies for coming..

me with the awesomely delicious cake.

Me & my little sis Maryssa. love this girl. everyone says we look alike.

Lewis wasnt allowed to come to the shower so we had some pics of him instead.

All the yummy food. thanks jami & amanda sooo much for doing all the food & planning the shower. i love you girls. thanks so much for doing so much for our family these past few months.

another video...

2009-05-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

Lewis loves to make little cooing noises. you have to turn the volume up really high in order to hear him. its soo cute. we just cant get enough of this little guy....

Video...

2009-05-06T21:30:00.000-07:00

Lewis just recently started sucking on his hand when he gets hungry. when i wake up in the middle of the night i hear him smacking on his hand & i cant help but laugh.

Trip to Kingman

2009-05-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

last week we finally got to take Lewis out of town. Our nurse Beth said he is doing soo well & that we shouldnt have any problems taking him out of town. we took his feeding tube & oxygen just in case but he never needed them! He loved being held by all his aunts. i hardly held him while we were there because everyone else wanted to hold him.. His favorite things are to be held, sung too, kissed on, his bouncer, loves his diaper changes (he used to hate them) & he loves when dad comes home! he is getting soo big on me. its a little sad. he weighed 9 pounds at his drs appointment yesterday. i just cant believe how far he has come in such a short amount of time. He is such a miracle & i love him more & more each day. i feel like i dont deserve to be this special little guys mother. i feel so blessed that i am though & i have learned so much from being his mom. he just makes me want to be better at everything i do.
anyway here are lots of pics from out stay in Kingman. it was such a blast. we are even going back this week so Lewis & i can stay for a whole week & just relax. we cant wait! then when we get back from kingman we are going to go stay up north for a whole week & relax some more.....

the best dad in the whole wide world!! he sure does love Lewis...

he was always soo happy in the morning.

Here he is getting a bath by dad.. he loves his baths.

A four generation picture. Great-Grandma Lewis, Grandma Pease, Alvin & Lewis.

new pics

2009-04-29T22:51:00.000-07:00

Lewis chilling with his dad. notice he doesnt have the feeding tube anymore or have to be on oxygen. i finally feel like i have a normal baby! its amazing to be able to walk around the house with him not connected to anything. or have to carry a millon extra things whenever we go to the drs.

His new toy... okay so this is alvins new toy but he cant wait for lewis to get bigger so he can take him out shooting...

Here he is at bath time. his new favorite thing to do.

soo cute..

loves to be naked! i know he looks bald in all these pics but the funny thing is he has alot of hair. its just all in the back.. he looks like an old man thats loosing his hair.

3 years together....

2009-04-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

Today Alvin & I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. we cant believe how fast time has gone by & that we have been married that long. of course we couldnt do much to celebrate since we have a baby but it was nice to sit at home & just be together as a family. Alvin is such a good dad to lewis. im amazed at how good he is with him. He isnt afraid to hold him or change his diapers. He is always soo helpful when he gets home from work & will feed lewis & give him his daily bath. the nice thing is i never have to ask him he will just jump right in and do it. These past few months have been hard for us with everything Lewis had to go through but they have brought us closer together as a couple & i am soo grateful for that. Im so thankful i have such a great companion to share my life with. I dont know what i would do without him in my life. so thanks for an amazing three years babe! i love you more than i ever thought possible! thanks for being an amazing husband & now an amazing father. everyday i just look at you & thank heavenly father for bringing us together. He knew what lied ahead for us & knew i couldnt go through it without you by myside. i love you Alvin Wilson Pease!!! Happy Anniversary!

This was right before he left for surgery.

now here we are today! lewis is getting soo big! he looks just like his dad.

Happy Baby!

2009-04-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

i had to put this picture of Lewis on the blog for everyone to see how happy he is! im so upset i didnt get a better picture but this was when he first woke up so it was all dark in the room. he has been smiling soo much these past few days. there is no better feeling when he looks at me & gets a big grin on his face!! it just makes my day....

here he is getting ready for his echo. these appointments can last over an hour.... he hates having to stay still for soo long & people pushing on his stomach & chest with their tools...

and here he is doing what babies do best. sleeping. i could just hold & stare at him all day...

Big Long Update....

2009-04-11T18:51:00.000-07:00

a lot of big things have been happening at the Pease residence. Lewis had his swallow test on Monday & he didn't pass:( he had some fluid going to the lungs when they gave him the normal liquid & a nectar liquid. he did however pass the honey consistency so we are allowed to feed him again! we have to add this gel to his milk to make it thicker so it wont go to the lungs. I'm just soo happy to be bottle feeding him again. He has been doing okay with his feeds. He gets 70 cc ever 3 hours & he will drink from a bottle about 15-35cc's then the rest we have to put in his feeding tube. Once he gets to the point he can drink all 70 every 3 hours we can pull the tube out & leave it out!! I wish he would just hurry up & drink it all so we wouldn't have to deal with both the tube & bottle feeds. i guess i need to learn patience so he is taking his sweet time with it! my goal for him is by the end of this month to have the tube out. He did however drink one whole bottle today & i thought i was going to cry i was sooo happy. he has never done that.
We saw his nurse Beth on tuesday & he had an echo. There are still a few things with his heart they will keep an eye on but for the most part it looks great! He still has the pulmonary hypertension so once that goes away we can say goodbye to the oxygen & Viagra!! they are saying once he grows it should go away. so hopefully soon. They weighed him & he now weighs 8 pounds 4 ounces! Beth said she is very happy with his weight gain & so am i. he is also 21 & 1/2 inches long.
He will start seeing a speech therapist & a physical therapist at the end of the month. The speech therapist will help me with his feeds & what not. im not sure what will go down at the physical therapists.... just one more Dr's appointment we have to go to. they sure do keep me busy!
Also Lewis finally got his voice back!! i missed his loud cry... i never thought i would say that but its so nice to be able to hear him if i go in the other room. before i kept running back & forth from room to room just to make sure he was okay since i couldn't hear him cry.. but his voice is back & loud as ever! and im thankful for that.

the cutest baby in the whole wide world!

as for Alvin & I we are adjusting pretty well to being new parents. I love to see alvin hold the baby & kiss on him. He is always telling Lewis "you are so cute" & "i love you soo much". Alvin is an amazing dad & helps out soo much with his feeding & changing diapers. He always just jumps right in to help & im soo grateful for that. He will even do a few feeding shifts during the night when he doesn't have work so i can get some good sleep. I appreciate that soo much & dont think i could make it through everything without him by my side. i always knew he was the man i was supposed to be with for eternity. I love you Alvin! Thanks for all you do for our family.

Today i had a little of a breakdown... I went to a baby shower for a friend today & while i was there i was watching all the moms with their babys there. one was breastfeeding, one was holding her sleeping baby & the other was bouncing her baby on her lap.... i hate to say it but i kinda felt sorry for myself. that i didnt have my baby there, that im not able to breastfeed & do normal things with my baby. then i felt even more sorry for Lewis. That he has to have the tube down his throat to eat. that he has to have oxygen & medicine to help him breath. i kinda thought for a second that he wasnt as happy as these other babies i was seeing. more than anything i just want him to be healthy & happy & be a normal baby. Then i remembered the words Alvin said at Lewis's baby blessing. That Lewis knew what he would have to go through before he came to our family. I quickly had a change of attitude & just thanked my heavenly father for everything we have been thru. i know it happened for a reason. it wasnt just by chance that everything happened. Lewis is still here for a reason & more than anything i am grateful for that. I wouldnt change anything. We are one of the lucky ones that still has our baby with us so how can i feel sorry for myself... things could be much worse.
I just hope i can learn all i need to learn from this experience. So that i can be a better mom & wife. i will no longer feel sorry for myself that i dont have a normal baby! my baby is special. i am grateful heavenly father has trusted me to be his mother & take care of him. i promise to do my best & be the best mom to you Lewis. you are my little miracle baby!

on to a more happier note we got a visit from my great grandpa spud. It was soo good to see him. We missed seeing grandma peggy since she was at a shower.. we hope you two know how much we love you! we wish we could see you more. Here is a picture of Lewis with his great great grandpa spud!! hopefully we will be able to get a 5 generation picture when we go up north.

pics with no tubes!!

2009-04-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

so i had to take Lewis's feeding tube out to change it last week & i couldnt pass up the chance to take pics of him without the tubes tapped to his face! he totally looks like a different baby without them.
I cant believe how much Lewis looks like Alvin. He is such a beautiful baby & i am loving every minute i get to spend with him. i have lots to update but not much time today. I promise ill update on friday! in the mean time enjoy these pics...

He always sleeps with his hands above his head! its too cute.

Home Sweet Home

2009-03-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

so we have been home for over a week & i have been so busy i havent had time to blog. finally we are on a schedule & things are getting better around our household. Here is how our week has been....

wednesday March 18th: we finally got the okay from the hospital that we were coming home! it took almost all day to make sure i had everything i needed to take care of Lewis. We came home on 3 different medicines. Sildenafil (also known as viagra) this is to help with his pulmunary hypertension, He gets it every 8 hours. Lasix which is used to help keep his blood thin & it makes him pee alot.... he gets this every 12 hours. Last but not least is Methadone that helps with the withdrawls from all the pain meds he was on. He is almost done with this drug thank goodness..
Two nights before we left they took out an IV line that was in his leg because his leg started to swell & was turning purple. they did an ultrasound on his leg & found a blood clot. i wish i would have taken a picture because his leg was double in size... so to help with the blood clot we came home on Lovenex that helps to thin out the blood. This however had to be given in a shot so a nurse quickly taught me how to give shots since he had to have it 2 times a day. It was pretty easy to learn but i have to admit i was very nervous when we got home & i had to give him the shot with no nurse there to supervise me. I was shaking sooo bad but i managed to get the job done...

His scar looks soo good & has healed up nicely...

We finally got to leave around 7 thursday night after a long day of just waiting around & trying to remember everything all the nurses were telling me. It was such an amazing feeling walking out of that hospital with my baby finally!!! It still seems so surreal that he is actaully home & doing so good... He is my little miracle & i thank heavenly father every single day for sending this special spirit to be apart of our family & for trusting me to take care of him. I have been soo humbled by this experience thats for sure...

We finally got to put some clothes on Lewis for the first time!!! He looked soo adorable in his little outfit...

Thursday March 20th: We had a pretty uneventful day but as the day went on we realized that Lewis was having a hard time breathing. He was breathing really fast & was acting like he was having a hard time getting air. We were really worried so we called Erica a nurse at St Joes & she said if we could wait to come into the clinic in the morning & that she would see us right as it opened. We decided to wait out the night but we had someone watching Lewis 24-7 just in case something happened and we needed to take him to the ER.

Friday March 21st: We went to the clinic around 8 to meet with the drs. We got some x-rays done, they checked out his wounds, & did an echo on his heart. after a few long hours they came to the conclusion that his pulmanary hypertension was worse than they thought. So they upped his doses of Viagra to help with that & also said he needed to be on oxygen until we come off the viagra. Alvin & i both thought we should have came home with oxygen to begin with. They also found some fluid in his lungs & around his heart. This could be from him swallowing & his food not going to the right place. So we are now doing all his feeds through the feeding tube. He has a swallow test on April 6th so hopefully we can figure everything out so he doesnt have to keep the feeding tube in very much longer.
So other than that one scary night things have been going well. He requires alot of attention & work but he is sooo worth every second! We love having him home & are thankful for each day we get to share with him.

Here is his humungo oxygen tank. they gave me little baby oxygens to take whenever we got out. needless to say i have alot of stuff to carry whenever i take him to the Dr's.

His feeding machine. I cant wait to be done with this thing...

He had his first bath at home by grandma Tenney & me. He didnt like it very much.

All dressed up & clean!

My grandma Tenney Lewis's great grandma came by for a little visit & finally got to hold him! he was smiling away at her..

Aunt Kimmie has been such a big help to me & even will come stay with me on nights Alvin has to work so i can get in a few hours of sleep. What would i do without my sisters... they are seriuosly the best.

Also Lewis is officially one month old. i cant believe how fast time has gone. Its so crazy to think that in a month he went from this... a swollen baby just out of heart surgery to...

a happy baby who is home & doing what babys do best. sleep, eat & poop. Happy One Month Birthday Lewis! We LOVE you.

Family & Friends Visit

2009-03-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

Every day we had either family or friends visit us at the hospital. It made the three weeks go by soo quick. Thanks everyone for coming to visit & keeping us company. Here are pics of some of the visitors we had come to the hospital.

Grandpa & Grandma Tenney

Emma, Maryssa & Trey

Auntie Kimmy

Amy & Kort

Stratton

This whole experience has made me realize just how important family really is. Im so grateful for the knowledge i have of Forever Families!! what joy this brings me to know i will be with the ones i love forever. I dont think i can thank you all enough for all you guys have done for our family this past month... We Love you ALL!!!

Baby Shower...

2009-03-17T14:50:00.001-07:00

We are going to be having a baby shower here in the next few weeks so i need all your addresses... please email me at jessica10e@hotmail.com so we can be sure to send you ALL an invite. im soo super excited to be having a baby shower! and im sure Lewis is excited too. neway be sure to email me soon so we can start getting things in order.

we r going home!!

2009-03-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

so this is going to be quick since i am super busy trying to learn how to take care of my little munchkin once we get him home. They are saying we will go home either tomorrow or wednesday!! i am so beyond happy right now that we will get to take him home soo soon. they were telling us that it would be at least 4-6 weeks after surgery & it will barely be two weeks on wednesday. He is our little miracle!! anyway i gotta go learn about a zillion things in one day so ill try & update as soon as i possibly find time. thanks again everyone for your prayers! hopefully next time i update it will be from the comfort of our home!!!!

Happy St Pattys Day from baby Lewis...

ive been enjoying holding & feeding my little guy

Andie Grace

2009-03-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

our neighbor Andie Grace was taken off life support this morning & she passed away in her mommas arms. Please say a prayer for her family as this is an especially difficult time for them. Saying goodbye to their little girl is hard, but we know that she is in a wonderful place and at peace.

Off the Ventilator!!!

2009-03-12T14:47:00.001-07:00

today was a big day for Lewis... They took out his venitilator around 11:00 this morning & he is doing great without it in. He is finally looking more & more like the baby i had two weeks ago. They replaced the ventilator with a tube that sits at the bottom of his nose (much better than a tube down the throat) that helps give him oxygen. They are no longer giving him Fentanyl (the drug for pain and that made him sleepy) they lowered his doses yesterday since they wanted him to wake up more so he would start breathing on his own. I personally didnt like him awake & alert while he had the breathing tube in because he kept trying to gag himself... but he made it through & we are praying he wont have to go back on the respirator again. Also they had to stop giving him my breastmilk yesterday so he wouldnt throw up anything while they took the tube out but now he is back on my milk!! we are starting over at 1cc an hour & will go up 1cc every 6 hours till we are at 10cc... Also they said we may start to try & bottle feed him soon. I really hope this works out so we wont have to go home with a feeding tube. Also i may get to hold him soon now that he is off the ventilator!! i cant wait to have him in my arms again... its been way too long.

He is finally able to be wrapped up in a blanket again... his favorite.

making some progress.....

2009-03-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

Lewis is amazing us everday with how strong his little body is. Today was a pretty good day. He is finally weaned off of Nitric. The nitric opens up the pulmonary veins in the lungs. They tried to wean him off this a few days ago but once they turned it off his body didnt tolerate it. So they came to the conclusion that he has something called pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure in the vessels that carry blood from the heart to the lungs. So since they took him off the nitric they had to give him a different drug & the miracle drug is Viagra. Wierd i know but they say it does almost the same thing as the nitric.... They are also telling us he will go home on this medication. I have a feeling Lewis is going to be very high maintenance once we get him home... they also say that most heart babies go home with feeding tubes & if they come out ill have to put it back in. I can barely watch the nurses put them in so i better start getting used to it. Also today they took out his catheter since he was peeing soo good. Alvin was happy about that!! so slowly we are getting rid of machines & tubes. Of course we still have a LONG way to go but at least he is making progress. Also the nurses are telling us his ventilator may come out by thursday if we are lucky. they are letting him wake up more so he will start breathing on his own. I cant wait to get that thing out... i havent heard a peep from my baby for almost a week. i cant wait to hear his little cry again. So that is his next big hurdle! to get that ventilator out & keep it out!
Also i can never say this enough.... Thanks for praying for Lewis & us. We have felt so much love & support thru all this, even from people who barely even know us. Your prayers are much appreciated!!! We love you all!

Here are a few pics from today. They took off his dressing on his chest yesterday & it looked soo much better than i thought it would. I cant say it enough how cute this little guy is.. i cant wait to kiss & squeeze on him.

Also he is finally getting fed some of my breastmilk. YEEPEE!!! all my hard work is finally paying off....he is up to 7cc an hour & they will try to get him to 10cc an hour so hopefully he will be able to tolerate it well so he can start gaining some weight.

Words of a Hymn & a beloved prophet

2009-03-08T13:06:00.001-07:00

Hymns seem to always bring me such comfort. How true these words are...

Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?
Tis not so; all is right.
Why should we think to earn a great reward
If we now shun the fight?
Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.
Our God will never us forsake;
And soon we'll have this tale to tell
All is well! All is well!

Also these words from our beloved prophet Gordon B Hinckley really touched me today....
"All of us have problems. We face them every day. How grateful I am that we have difficult things to wrestle with. They keep us alive. They keep us going. They keep us humble. They pull us down to our knees to ask the God of heaven for help in solving them. Be grateful for your problems, and know that somehow there will come a solution."
"Just do the best you can, but be sure that it is the very best. Then leave it in the hands of the Lord"

How gratful i am for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For the knowledge i have of his great eternal plan. That i live at a time when the gospel has been restored to its fullest to help get me through this tuff time.

Tender Mercy

2009-03-08T11:22:00.001-07:00

So im really late on posting about this but its something i dont want to forget. After I had Lewis i got to hold him long enough for us to get a family photo before the nurses took him away to get all his medications & ivs going etc... since he was hooked up to soo many things they wouldnt let me hold him while he was in ICU. He was in the ICU unit from feburary 24th to the 26th. While he was in that unit we were only able to visit him a few times a day & we could only have 2 people at a time go in to see him. This was soo hard on me & i would basically cry myself to sleep just wishing i could hold my baby. The day i got released from the hospital was especially hard because i had to go home without my beautiful baby in my arms. Even though i knew long before Lewis was born that he wasnt going to come home with me after he was born didnt make it any easier.
Finally the night i got released we got a call that Lewis was moving from the ICU unit the the PCTICU unit. He would have his own room & we would be able to stay with him 24-7!!! i was soo happy we would be able to be with our baby as long as we wanted...but i still hadnt gotten to hold him & that was just killing me.
Friday evening we had gone home for the night so we could get some sleep since its pretty hard to sleep at the hospital with all the beeping of the machines & nurses coming in. I was getting ready to pump before i went to bed when i realized i had left all the pumping equipment at the hospital. So Alvin & i hurried to the hospital to pick them up. After we got all the equipment & were getting ready to leave the nurse asked me if i had held Lewis since he was born. I told her that i hadnt & she said she was going to ask one of the doctors if it was okay if i held him. A few minutes later she came back & said i could hold him but we would just have to be very careful not to pull any of the wires out. My heart just rejoiced as i finally got to hold my baby for the first time since he was born. She said i could hold him until her next assesment so i got to hold him for almost 2 hours... I know that heavenly father had heard my plee & felt my pain to hold him & he made it all possible through a kind & sensitive nurse... It was such a tender mercy & one i will never forget.

Alvin had to hold all the cords so they wouldnt fall out....

Update on Lewis

2009-03-07T08:20:00.000-08:00

Baby Lewis's sternum & chest are finally closed. The surgeon came in around 8 this morning & closed him all up. We just pray his little heart will tolerate the sternum being closed since it can put pressure on his heart & cause bleeding. His blood pressure is high right now so they are trying to bring that down & he still has alot of fluid he needs to get rid of so we are going to work on that today.
Its been much easier to look at him now that he doesnt have an open chest. He is still such a beautiful baby even with all the cords & tape all over him... I just cant wait to kiss & hold my baby again. Its amazing the amount of LOVE i have for him & just wish i could take all the pain away. Im just happy he wont ever remember any of this.
All the doctors have been soo impressed with how lewis is doing considering how complicated the surgery was & how many things were wrong with his heart. Our prayers have truly been answered since they really thought he wouldnt make it past the first 72 hours after his surgery. It is truly a miracle that Lewis is still with us. We had a cardiologist come in the day after surgery to do an echo & he said the repair on his heart looks really good. He said "I was expecting the worst considering how complicated & long the surgery was but his heart is actually looking pretty good." That just made us sooo happy to hear him say that. It gives us Hope! Hope that he will keep going in the right direction... We have learned to take it one day at a time & have been so thankful for all the family & friends that have stopped by to make the time go by faster. We have had so much Love & support given to us. It has really made this difficult trial alot easier for us just knowing how many people are praying for Lewis & us. People who dont even know us are praying for our baby & that gives me such comfort. I know our Heavenly Father has heard & answered our prayers. I just pray everyday that i can learn what i need to learn from this trial he has given our family. I try to remind myself everyday that someday i will look back at all this & be grateful for this trial.

Here is a pic of Lewis today. He still is swollen but is much better than he was yesterday & his chest is closed so that makes him look much better...

A Long hard day...

2009-03-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

Lewis is finally out of surgery & back with us in his room. The surgeon came & talked to us after the surgery & said it went pretty much as he expected it to go. He said to expect our baby to be very sick for a while since he had to undergo such a long exhausting surgery. These next couple days will be very crucial for him & we are just taking it hour by hour or sometimes minute by minute....
It was soo hard to see him when he came back from surgery. His chest is pretty much open with some tap over it & that was hard to take in.... They have his sternum open as well since his heart is swollen from all the work they have done on it & they will close that in a few days. So he is very swollen & that will probably get worse before it gets better. They will keep him very sedated for the next couple days so at least he wont be in any pain. He is getting alot of attention tonight & they will watch every little thing very closely tonight & tomorrow.
Lewis is such a fighter & i am soo amazed at how much strength his little body has. It is truly a miracle that he has lived this long & will be even more of a miracle if his surgery works & he makes a full recovery. We are so grateful for modern technology & medicine. 20 years ago they wouldnt have been able to help at all. We are just glad to have him. Thx everyone for your prayers. Keep them coming....

No one should ever have to see there baby like this.... it just makes my heart ache.

surgery...

2009-03-04T12:05:00.000-08:00

Lewis went into surgery around 8:15 this morning. He went on bypass around 10:00 & we havent heard anything else yet & its been almost 3 hours. im going a little crazy waiting & not knowing whats going on downstairs with my little guy.
Also after reviewing the Cat Scan the doctors found another complication with Lewis's heart that just makes it even more difficult to fix... We already knew he had a double outlet right ventricle, VSD (a hole between the two ventricles) & an interrupted aortic arch. Then yesterday they informed us that his two many arteries are transposed so that makes it even more difficult to fix. The surgeon said his surgery is one of the most complicated surgeries they can perform so that didnt make us feel any better. Also he mentioned risks of doing this kinda surgery such as him having strokes or seizures, his kidney going bad or holes in his heart... Just basically to expect anything & everything could possibly happen once surgery is done. It will truly be a miracle if our little guy makes it thru all this... The first 24-48 hours are the most crucial so ill be sure to try & keep everyone updated.

The good news is they are going to attempt doing all the repairs at one time..
We have put our trust & faith in the Lord & know it is truly the will of God & we need to have faith & align our wills accordingly. This has been very difficult for Alvin & I to see our first child going thru so much pain & suffering. If we could switch spots with him we would in a second. We have soo much love for Lewis & are so grateful he is ours FOREVER & we will be an eternal family.

We again want to thank ALL the family and dear friends for the support, prayers, fasting & love to help our family through this difficult trail.

enjoy these pics of our little guy! we think he is the cutest baby ever...

a quick update!

2009-03-01T20:08:00.001-08:00

this will be quick since i dont have much time to update but i just wanted to let everyone know that the drs. are talking about doing his surgery on wednesday. of course it hasnt been set in stone & we are still waiting to hear if he will only have to have one surgery or 3 surgerys. of course we are praying he only has to have one but we know the drs will make the right decision. We feel like we are at the best hospital with an amazing team of doctors that will be able to fix our little Lewis's heart so he can come home. we know we have to have patience since he wont be coming home anytime soon...
We have truly felt every prayer that has been said for our family & want you all to know how grateful & appreciative we are for them. We are soo very blessed to have such great family & friends who love us & pray for us daily. Please continue to pray for Lewis & that everything will go well with his surgery & recovery. We sure do Love our little guy & thank our Heavenly Father daily for sending him to us.

i promise to update more soon.... especially on tuesday when we find out all the details on his surgery.

2009-02-24T11:10:00.000-08:00

dang he is cute

2009-02-24T11:02:00.000-08:00

Little Lewis Jess is here.

2009-02-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

Here is the DL.... born 2/24/09 at 0730 hours. 6.4lbs 19in. and I can't get enough of him. Jess will post more when she get's out of the hospital. Thx for everyone's prayers and support. It has meant everything to us.

The big day!!

2009-02-20T10:12:00.000-08:00

so we officially have a time set up for me to go to the hospital. i will be checking in at 8:00 pm monday night & hopefully i will be having the baby tuesday... ive actually been having some contractions already so it could even be before then but im not counting on that. anyway ill be sure to have Alvin take as many pictures as possible & let eveyone know how Lewis is doing once he gets here. I cant begin to thank everyone enough for keeping us in your prayers. We are sooo blessed to have such an amazing family & friends.

Ups & Downs

2009-02-12T12:26:00.000-08:00

Today i had a drs appointment & they checked Lewis's wieight today & according to their system that calculates the babies weight he is weighing in at 5 pounds 8 ounces. which is wierd because 2 weeks ago when they checked his weight it came out to 5 pounds 11 ounces so they were pretty concerned about that. He is in the 6th percentile for his weight & anything under 10 they worry. Everything else however is looking fine its just his weight. Basically Dr Ponkey gave me a few options and we decided to continue testing for one more week to make sure his lungs get fully developed & i will be induced sometime the week of the 23rd. So it looks like we will be having a february baby!! i cant believe thats only a week & 1/2 away. i feel sooo not ready & its hard to get excited when i know my baby is going to have to have open heart surgery ASAP... but im excited to finally have him here & hopefully i will get to hold him after i have him, even if its only for a few seconds. please keep us (especially Lewis) in your prayers. Ill be sure to update how my appointments go monday & thursday of next week & when exactally i will be getting induced.

Day I found out...

2009-02-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

(This is a post from my personal blog & i wanted to put it on his blog for when i make a book)

October 3, 2008: So i know i said i would post on friday once we found out what we are having but i just didnt get around to it. We went to the doctor friday afternoon & found out we are having a BOY. we spent almost 2 hours there because they couldnt get a good look at his heart with the position he was in... so they made me walk around, touch my toes & nothing seemed to work. Finally the Dr came in and said the heart didnt look right and that they couldnt get a good look at it so she wanted me to go to a different doctor on Monday so they could try and get a good look at the heart to make sure everything was okay.

October 6, 2008: So back i went on Monday afternoon. This time i was by myself & thinking that it wasnt going to be a big deal... was i wrong though. I spent another 2 hours there since he was in the same position but finally they got a good look at his heart. when the doctor was done looking he said clean up and ill talk to you in my office. thats when i started to kinda panic. i knew something was wrong. so i got cleaned up and went to his office. So i sit down and he just starts telling me that the baby for sure has a heart defect. Basically there are two things wrong with it. he is missing one of the main arterys that comes off the heart that gives his body blood. He is supposed to have 4 chambers to his heart but they only see one side to it. So he is telling me all this and i dont say a single word the whole time... i hate crying in front of people and it took everything in me to not break out in front of this guy. so finally he was done explain and said he wants me to come back tomorrow to meet with a different doctor so we could start planning & so she could do an AMIO on me. i say okay & set up the appointment and leave. As soon as i opened the doors to walk outside i completely lost it. i dont think i have ever cried that hard in my life & i couldnt stop.. finally i called alvin and that just triggered it again when i had to tell him what happened.

October 7, 2008: Then it was back again the next day. Luckily Alvin was able to get off work to come with me so i felt alot better about going. He is my rock & just having him there holding my hand made it soo much easier. We meet with Dr Ponkey & she was able to give us a little more info the next day which was nice. She couldnt tell us what the chances are of our little guy surviving but she said the heart defect he has is rare and they dont see it very often. So we have to go meet with some heart specialists at St Joes hospital on tuesday and they will be able to tell us if its fixable with surgery or if theres nothing we can do. Dr Ponkey did do an amio on me, thats were they stick a needle in your stomach and pull out some of the babys fluid from aruond it. That was pretty painful & i was sore for 24 hours after. However i got a call back yesterday from a doctor and she said that so far that test has come back normal but we are still waiting for the rest of the results.

I just have to tell our families THANKS YOU so much for the phone calls, emails, texts, etc.. We have the best families ever!! i dont know what we would do without them. Our little guy has alot of people who already love him so much & want whats best for him.

SOON TO COME!!

2009-02-11T13:27:00.000-08:00

So baby Lewis will be here before we know it! This will be his personal blog & i will try to update it everyday on how he is doing so everyone will have the most recent info on our little guy.... as for now we are just watching him very closely & trying to get him big & strong for when he arrives. my drs. appointments are going well & we are just getting more & more anxious as the big day approaches. ill post more soon on Lewis's heart condition.. hopefully i can get this blog up and running ASAP with all the information we have recieved thus far!