Bing and I just returned from our escape at Bella Beach. Grammie Marcia and Papa Barn thoroughly enjoyed their three days alone with Maddox. Marcia was very good about sending us little video clips of our sweet baboo. He is getting more and more hilarious, goofy and energetic with each passing day.

While we were gone: Maddox pummeled Rudy (family dog), climbed into a clothes basket to read his book, ate in mass quantities and pooped just as much, refused to be gotten out of bed by throwing himself violently all over the crib post-nap. To our delight, he squealed and flashed us a face consuming smile when we crashed in on bath time, and then, jumped up offering kisses left and right. I know there was loads of fun without us around but, it is so fantastic to be received with such excitement and fervor.

Also, while we were gone: Bing and I ate amazing seafood (and lots of it), scoured for sea treasures on multiple beaches for hours on end, hit up the local outlet mall, ate more delicious seafood (little, raw oysters are yummy), took a candlelit bubble bath, massaged each others' feet and enjoyed several days of childless, marital bliss!



We tried to get cute pictures of the two of us but we both agree they turned out disgusting so, all you get is the corny, yet cute, beach video...

Something about the Randich house does funny things to Maddox's bowels. He has never pooped in our bathtub, nor has he gotten diarrhea all over our carpet. I think they just bring out his crappy side :)

For those who missed it...

I could do without the closet segment but, other than that, they did an awesome job. This is the piece they did on our moving day.

We have been in the house for a week now. WOW! Most everything is situated comfortably; there are a lot of things that we need, like furniture. Two living rooms means multiple couches and end tables and lamps, etc. For now, we have a pretty sweet dancefloor. Maddox is into everything and is really loving all of the room to run. I will have to post more on all of the mischief he is up to.

Sunday we head out for the coast and boy are we excited! We have two weeks of fun, family and friends. We get back on January 2nd and on the 4th I start my new job at Eide Bailly as a Medical Billing Specialist.

Our blessings come in pairs

So... yesterday we closed on the house and spent our first night sleeping out there. Awesome! Today, Bing got a phone call from St. Vincent Hospital and they have 100% forgiven our debt with them. For those of you that don't know, that is a $23,000 burden lifted from our shoulders. Thank you, thank you God!

Hilarious!

Oh, too funny... That last post was an attempt to update you from my phone. As I waited at the bank to sign the loan papers, and then go over to the title company, I thought it would be nice to post a little something. Who knew it would go so wrong! :) So... this is what that was supposed to say.

"Today is the day folks. We sign all of the papers and that awesome DREAM home is ours! Most of our stuff is in the garage already, waiting to find a new home at 1644 Front Street. The McCalls had it cleaned already so I only have to worry about cleaning the apartment. What a blessing! Thank you for all of your prayers and financial support. We love you all and count ourselves overly blessed."

Everything is done. Maddox has a room already set up and Bing made our bed while I ran around. I came back to a fully dressed bed.... he even got the skirt on! What a man. I am so grateful for his tender heart and how eager he is to make me smile. Tonight we sleep in our very first home.

Thank you Jesus for your provision and blessing. Thank you everyone, who helped watch Maddox(mom and Aubyn); move our clunky, oversized, ridiculous furniture (Randy, Dad and Julian); and all of you who will be helping us soon (You know who you are, now get over here and help me get my kitchen situated!)

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wah wah wah

Closing was postponed. Now we are shooting for Wed the 9th. Here's hoping this one is for real.

So it's settled

Friday. 10:30 am. We take possession of our brand....new.....home! I'm sure Bing will have a truckload of stuff to move in as soon as we leave the title company. Of course we are all excited but, Bing is more eager than anyone. Never mind that I should probably go in and deep clean before we move in, he will not wait, I'm just sure.

Other good news: Remember that Bing had an episode in 2007? The one that brought him to Montana. Well, we have been sitting on a bunch of unpaid medical debt ever since. Bing has been working diligently to get those debts settled and boy am I glad he is tackling this. So far, Ketchican General Hospital has settled for $2051 on an $8000 debt and yesterday, we got news that UW will settle for $800 on $4000. All that is left is the ambulance ride and they are unwilling to work with us. We will probably pay them as little as possible, each month, for the next 20 years or so ;)

With his credit cards paid, his past medical taken care of, all that is left is the current medical debt. We are still waiting to hear from St. Vincent's, Billings Clinic, and UW regarding our financial assistance applications. All said, there has been a huge burden lifted. Praise God!

Thanksgiving '09

We gathered together, those of us who could, and gave thanks for our overwhelming abundance. This year has been a rollercoaster filled with excitement and emotion but, ultimately WONDERFUL! We are greatful for many things
*Our family and friends
*God's provision
*The sweetest most handsome baby ever
*Great relationship and a successful marriage
*A home, and not just any home, our dream home
*Bing's heart condition, without it we may have never met and our life would not have taken all of the turns that have brought us to where we are
*Undeserved grace
This is not an exhaustive list, but it has some biggies:)

Closer, closer, CLOSER!

I talked with our loan officer today, and if all goes well, we should be able to close on Dec. 4th! If we close on the 4th we get to start moving on the 4th. What a whirlwind, even Maddox is shocked at how quick this has gone! I don't even know what to say about it except that we are so very excited and can't wait to have a home of our own.
******
Bing has health insurance now....has had it since October. I am a little behind on my updating. With his heart condition, he qualified for CHIP which is a catastrophic health insurance for uninsurable people. The premium is only $200 a month and there is only a 4 month preexisting condition clause, which means he could have surgery January 9th and it would be covered.
******
Maddox is teething again and will soon have four teeth on top and only two on the bottom.... awkward. He is still super adorable and has a wonderful temperament. I couldn't ask for a sweeter, more wonderful baby boy.

You can't see it very well in this picture, but tooth number 3 is on the right of his top 2.
******
We are heading to Oregon for Christmas. We will leave Billings on the 20th and won't be home until January 2nd. My amazing, wonderful, generous in-laws are keeping Maddox for two nights and putting Bing and I up in an unbelievable rental near Lincoln City. New Years Eve will be spent in Seattle where a gentleman who graduated with Marcia is hosting a benefit ("Bing" in the New Year). 2009 has been an incredible year and I believe that 2010 is going to blow it out of the water. We continue to see blessing after blessing and good things are happening all over the place. What a wonderful life we have.

Our sweet neighbors put rollers in his hair and took incriminating pictures. Thanks guys!

Ah nuts!

Bing is the best husband ever and is making some beautiful furniture for our new home. His first attempt at making funiture turned out splendidly as you will see. I have two walnut end tables that will eventually have smaller versions to nest beneath them. He is also going to attempt a coffee table made of the same material, once I decide on the look that I want.

L-MoneyMillionaire

We met with a hilarious gal at Western Security Bank today to discuss our financing options and what we can qualify for. She approved the loan for a higher amount so that we can pay off my car with it, apparently that makes me look better somehow. If I work full-time at the wine bar, I personally, without Bing's income, can get a loan to cover our taxes on the house! Our mortgage payment will be almost exactly what we pay now for rent, utilities and my car payment. The house, and the loan are solely in my name, that way, creditors can't come after the house for the medical bills in Bing's name. What a huge blessing! We should be able to close in mid December and be moved in before Christmas.

Praise God for all that is good and wonderful in this world. How can we ever realize his true goodness if we never experience a bit of hardship? He really reveals his power and authority when we admit that we need Him and trust Him for the outcome. Thank you Jesus for showering us with blessings.

Walk this way

Maddox now WALKS. Not just an occasional spurt. He crawls to a solid object, stands up and walks. We are no longer safe in our own home. He watches me go to the bathroom, attacks me while snacking, touches the computer and sound system and insists on throwing away our remotes! I have to check the garbage before taking it out, we now have TWO, count them TWO beard trimmers and no charger. We have lost every remote in the house multiple times and he likes to put things in the toilet and bathtub.... crap.

He is still as sweet as ever. I laid on the living room floor while he was playing and every two minutes or so, he waddled over to me and leaned down for an open mouth kiss before going back to his walking business. He still dances every time he hears a musical tune and he jumps up and down in his crib, all the while watching himself in the mirror and egging himself on. He is the sweetest, most mild tempered and adorable child EVER!!! I am the most blessed woman in the whole-wide-world! I am so happy and I thank the Lord for bringing me Bing and Maddox.

House update

I have avoided posting news of the house because it seems to change very quickly. I didn't know how to share what was going on without retracting my post and starting over with every little event. I will briefly share the many thoughts and options we've been pondering and end with the latest.

1st- ecstatic, we have a house! We didn't believe we would ever be able to buy a home, due to the massive medical debt and the toll it has taken on Bing's credit rating.

2nd- We were told the income taxes on the house would be more than $100k and we didn't know what we would do. We most likely couldn't get approved for a home loan to pay those taxes and if we could, we probably couldn't afford the monthly payments in combination with all of our other expenses.

3rd- The builders (really wonderful people), offered to buy the house back and build us a less expensive home. By selling, we would have the cash to pay the taxes as well as some of our medical debt and then build something else. We were stuck on this one for a while and were pretty sure this was the solution. It is an awesome solution but not the desire of our hearts.

4th- The appraisal finally came in. The appraiser, knowing our situation, made every effort to appraise the house as low as possible,initially they said it was worth $410,500 but, the final number is...$311,000. Most of the time that isn't a good thing, for us, it means significantly lower taxes and a very, very good possibility that we can finance the taxes and live in our dream home!

That is by no means an extensive list of what has transpired over the last 6 weeks but, the major points are there. Everyday is filled with phone calls, paper work, e-mail, and faxes in order to sort out our debt and apply for financial assistance. We are working hard and praying harder. We are so blessed and we know it!

Since Maddox can't wield a knife and carve his pumpkin, we tried finger painting. Turns out, he still puts everything in his mouth and the paint didn't taste good. He barely got any paint on his pumpkin, but his biscuits got slathered!

Sock hand Muscle Man

Sometimes, I toy with Maddox. I guess it is in my nature, me being the youngest and all. The other day, I put socks on his hands to see what he would do.... he wore them for about an hour. He didn't try pulling them off, he just went about his business, using mitts instead of digits. My coffee table got dusted and we got a good laugh.


Maddox loves his Little Tyke car and gives his penguin rides on a regular basis. He also really enjoys putting our remotes and cell phones in the cup holder or throwing them away. He keeps us on our toes! He has started walking little bits on his own but, he gets so excited when we squeal that he pretty much dives face first into the carpet.

Here is a snippet of him "walking", it is at the end :)


Maddox loves to dance. He dances along to the radio, commercials, my cellphone ring, but his favorite is Lil Wayne.



Maddox and dad regularly practice throwing a football and flexing their muscles. He will be a star quarterback by the time he is 5!

Why don't I ever have wine in my house when I really want some?

Oh my! We have been so brilliantly blessed over the last few months. Ever since Bing's hospitalization, I have realized the enormity of relationship and community. People that we don't even know have come along side us and supported us financially, emotionally and spiritually.

All of this said.... I now realize that I am an introvert. I like to be around people but not in the center of everything. I do not like being on TV, or in the newspapers, or being recognized by every Tom, Dick and Harry at the grocery store, and I want my privacy. Funny comment to put on a blog, huh?

It is different to share our life with people who love us and want to be updated and to be able to control the details and edit the details. I never lie on Burch Perch, but sometimes I leave out details that I feel are private. The newspaper is cutthroat... they have misquoted, twisted and blurted out information about our lives and I DON'T APPRECIATE IT!

My husband revels in all of this. He is thoroughly enjoying every interview, photo op, and video taken of him. Not the inaccuracies but, the attention.

I am enjoying this rainy day, blogging, inside and alone. Now, why don't I have any wine in the house?


The beautiful home that we won!
http://tours.imagemaker360.com/Viewer/15.asp?id=95797 Click this link to see more photos of the home.

Dream Home

When Bing and I heard that there was a home being raffled off, we discussed buying a ticket. With all of the medical nonsense we were dealing with, it didn't seem plausible to spend $100 on a ticket that would likely not win us a home... Lord only knew how many people would buy tickets, our odds couldn't be good. I suggested that we pray about it and let God provide the answers (could we afford this, how many should/could we buy).

Bing wanted to buy 3 tickets. I said, "If God wants us to have this house, we only need to buy 1 ticket". We compromised and bought 2 tickets using some of the money from the benefit in Grays Harbor.

Weeks later, Bing approached me saying that the Lord was really laying it on his heart to buy a third ticket. It is hard to deny a request when you word it that way... even in all of my anal retentive frugality, I couldn't deny him the third ticket. I went in to McCall Homes to buy another ticket and spoke with two gals from St. Jude. While they looked for the right book of raffle tickets, I shared our story with them and left them with tears in their eyes. As I left I said " See you in a few weeks when I win the house".

The Bing-efit was on Saturday, September 26th and the drawing for the house was the next day. At the beginning of the week I told Bing it was going to be a good week, "we have the benefit on Saturday and then the next day we are going to win a house". I fully trust that the Lord has our best interest in mind, but I never, never, never thought that we would win. We were watching the live broadcast and eagerly awaited the drawing for the house, I was bummed when we didn't win $10,000 worth of new furniture because my couch is worn out and sinks in the middle. A beautiful little girl with brain cancer, reached into the hopper and pulled out the ticket, handed it to the news lady and...............drum roll please, announced that Lane Perrine had won the house. I screamed at the top of my lungs, jumped out of the sink-hole in my couch and landed on top of Bing. We both jumped up and down, screaming, squealing, crying, hugging and kissing. We immediately started calling our family and sharing the good news. In between phone calls, Bing hugged me and confessed, " I didn't tell you this, but on Monday nights when you were working, Maddox and I went down to the house and prayed over it".

I missed the call from St. Jude, so they called Bing and asked us to come down to the news station. When we walked in, the gal who sold me the ticket stared at me wide eyed, started bawling and said, "it's you". We hugged and cried and shook hands with a huge group of people who were waiting there to congratulate us and then we all headed down to our new house.

News crews, the builders, neighbors and the St. Jude folks were all there watching our reactions as we walked through. Bing had toured the house before, but it was my first time seeing the inside of this beautiful home, and let me tell you, it is AWESOME!

I don't have photos yet, but I will soon and I cannot wait to share them with you. We have to meet with lawyers and figure out all of the tax stuff and what not, it could be a month or so before we are even close to moving, but we hope to be able to host Thanksgiving.

When Bing bought the first two tickets, he put "Mr. & Mrs. Bing Perrine" on them, when I bought the third ticket, I only put my name on it. That is how we know that the third ticket was our winner. I am grateful that Bing was so faithful in prayer and had the wisdom to listen. I am grateful that I was able to submit to my husbands wish for a third ticket, and didn't argue our lack of finances. God has blessed us with more than we could have dreamed, THANK YOU GOD!

BIG BIG GOD= BIG BIG BLESSING

Tonight, we won a $400,000 St. Jude Dream Home. We have been blown away by the generosity of our friends and family. The benefit last night was outstanding! We had such a wonderful turnout and were superbly blessed by all of you. To top it off, our prayers to find a bigger home have been answered in a way we still can't fathom. I will share the full story soon.

Love you guys.

Ouchie

I got a bee sting in the palm of my hand today. It made me want to throw up it hurt so bad. I thought I might swell up and not be able to use my arm, but alas, nothing happened. It has been about 8 hours and it still aches, I'm pretty sure I never want to be stung again.

The commercial took longer than expected to edit, it should be on Youtube in the next couple of days. They put it on Youtube in order to raise money to put it on local TV. The first ad that came out in Maine raised about $100K in 12 hours on Youtube... pretty crazy.

I think we are going to develop big, huge, heads from all of the publicity we have been receiving. In the last week we have shot a commercial, a news program, and had an article in the local newspaper and the Bing-efit is scheduled for tomorrow. Not to mention, there are posters and fliers all over town with our picture and a brief synopsis of our predicament. What a blessing to have so much love and support and all of these people trying to help us. We are so appreciative!

Maddox now growls when asked, "what does a bear say?" Blows kisses, flexes his muscles, knows where his nose is, dances when he hears music, stands briefly on his own &
knows sign language for more and all done (those are the only two I know).

Photo frenzy

We took a day trip down to Sheridan, Wyoming to see new sights. We checked out the Don King Rodeo, kinda lame, we don't know much about calf roping and all of that but it was a really cool arena. It was just a wide open, grassy field. There were very few fences, which is apparently uncommon. Someone kept throwing a ball out into the field for their kids to retrieve. The announcer totally called them out and asked someone with common sense to explain why this was a bad idea... probably the highlight of the whole thing.

******
Mom and I had a garage sale to rid our homes of unnecessary crap (I mean treasures). We were pleasantly surprised at the turnout, especially since it was so far out of town. We made a couple hundred $, while spending a good deal of time together... totally worth it! Maddox hung out with us, wandered around in the walker, entertained shoppers, and shared Grammie's snack food. Dad didn't pack socks and shoes so we were stuck with pink socks and the leather moccasins that my sisters and I wore as baby girls.

******
Bing, Maddox and I are in a commercial for the Progressive Change Campaign. We filmed out at my parent's house and a little bit in downtown Billings. It should be on Youtube tomorrow and TV by the weekend.

******
Aunt Sissy gave Maddox a Little Tikes car for his birthday, what a hoot! He loves the thing and tries to put all of his other toys into it... they promptly fall through the open bottom. Maddox fell out the bottom and Bing didn't notice, so Maddox was run over the day we got it :) He also love the little scooter/walker we got him for his birthday and like to fill up the "trunk". The first day he figured it out, he would hold it open while desperately trying to reach something to put into it. Blocks are the best fit. At his 1 yr visit we learned that Maddox is tall and skinny with a very large head... tell me something I don't know! Also, the doctor told us to start brushing ALL of Maddox's teeth, he much prefers doing it himself.

The Big, Billings, Benefit is this weekend! Pray for a good turnout, good weather and a rocking-good-time. For more on this see Heavy Head or The Softer Side of Cynical.
Soon to come: baby shower, friends come to visit, Bing-efit...

I finally got my videos loaded. I know there are a bagillion pictures of Maddox eating his birthday cake, but now.... there is VIDEO! Also, Maddox has learned how to give kisses. They are very sweet and very, very slobbery.

holy moly! I can send a text message from my phone and it shows up as a post on my blog.... just like this one. AMAZING!

I'm trying out this new mobile blogging thingy...

Party time

We survived the first year, and the first party! It was a fun afternoon with family, burgers, lots of cake, and toys. We went with a pirate theme in honor of cousin Blake and his pirate patch. Someone got a group photo which I am sure will be on a blog somewhere :) He got great toys to aid his development, and some apparel and accessories... every boys' dream! There was a lot of family missing from the party but we ate enough cake for everybody, and we partied in your honor. Maddox was hilarious with his cake; unsure at first until I pinched off a bite for him, and then it was face plants and fists full and then a bath before presents.

Thanks family, for celebrating with us!

Maddox has started to do a dolphin laugh whenever he is particularly pleased or excited. This morning, Bing shared little bits of his coffee with Maddox and this is what we got!

Sorry

It has been awhile, I know. Bing and Maddox made it back to me in one piece. They left on a Tuesday and came home last Monday. It was almost a whole week, and I was very lonely. I have learned that I don't like to be left alone for that long!

Bing was able to be in Washington for the benefit at the Eagles. Kidco rocked the house and fun was had by all. It was a great turnout and Bing's fellow harborites blessed us immensely...once again.

We have spent the last week setting up appointments and doing some research on continuing Bing's education. It is looking as though Bing will be going back to school, either to get his Bachelor of Science in Nursing or his Teaching Certificate in Special Education. I'll let you know when it is official. Either way, there are programs to pay for his schooling, woohoo!

********
Testing continues and surgery is uncertain. Basically, because we have no insurance, and no way to pay for a new valve, they will probably wait until it is a life or death situation, or, we miraculously get some sort of coverage.

Bing's cardiologist wants to explore some sort of anti-depressant, on the chance that his symptoms are a result of situational depression. Cardiologists can't prescribe that medication so we have to see yet another doctor.

Bing still isn't sleeping well, he has palpitations quite often, shortness of breath, fatigue etc. My biggest stress right now is watching Bing's misery day in and day out, and then leaving him with a baby while I go to work. I do well 90% of the time and then I break and have a day of crying and lamenting. We discussed all of that last night, Bing and I, and we agree that something wonderfully amazing is going to come of this. We don't know what that looks like, but we will celebrate this trial in the end.

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On a much happier note, Maddox will be 1 year old on Saturday! So much has happened in the last year that it just flew by; we should really make a movie of our life.

I don't have many pictures, but I'll pick up the pace!

Travelers

Bing and Maddox are road tripping to the Harbor. There is a wonderful benefit, in Bing's honor, and his dad's band is reuniting. Kidco was a big deal back in the
80's and they haven't played together in over a decade, maybe two decades. I have to work, which is why I can't go and why Bing is taking Maddox. They left today at about 1:00 pm and are stopping over in Spokane. Pray for their safety and that this visit will lift Binger's spirits and provide some encouragement (although I'm the one who appears to need the encouragement).

The Lord seems to be going before us and scheduling doctors appointments, cause no one gets this lucky. Bing was scheduled for the sleep study to be done August 21, they called us back the next day and asked if he could come in that night! Then he was supposed to schedule an appointment with his cardiologist, Dr. Ford, who was out of her office for two weeks and doing a rotation at the hospital, he couldn't get in for 6 weeks. Her nurse called us right back and said that Dr. Ford wanted to see Bing on Monday.

Monday, we met with the pulmonary doc to discuss the sleep study and while we were there, Dr. Ford joined in the meeting! Bing does not have sleep apnea, in fact, he has a very normal sleep pattern, when he sleeps.

Monday, before the meeting with our Docs, Bing had an echo cardiogram and then they also did an EKG right before the meeting. The problem isn't cut and dry and Dr. Ford is as frustrated as we are that we can't pinpoint a specific cause. Obviously, Bing's heart is leaky, but why the sudden decline and health problems when his heart doesn't "look that bad".

We are pressing for the valve replacement, the sooner, the better. Bing would have it done tomorrow if they would let him. We are praying constantly that God would open doors and make things happen in His time. He knows Bing's heart better than anybody, he created it.

We were denied Medicaid, my job is almost worthless, and we continue to have Dr. visit after Dr. visit.
I believe that all of this is happening for a purpose and that much good will come of it, but sometimes it is hard to remember that in the moment and see the light at the end of the tunnel.

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

We trust. And now we wait.

Randomness

Maddox enjoying his morning bottle. Apparently he was feeling squirmy.

Self-feeding a banana

Mom, why did you let me get so messy?

Oh no... it's everywhere!

Latest

Bing continues to have palpitations and shortness of breath on a daily basis. The shortness of breath in nearly constant and has made working almost impossible. He sleeps very little, even with ambien, he only gets a couple of hours each night and then attempts to work half days in the mornings.


Bing has an appointment on Wednesday morning with a pulmonologist to run tests on his lungs. They are trying to rule out any other causes for his shortness of breath, high resting heart rate and fatigue. Bing's normal resting heart rate is in the 50-60 range, lately it has been 80-100. He has asked that they consider moving the valve replacement to October or sometime soon. He is, understandably, tired of feeling awful and wants to move on with life. The sooner they do the surgery the sooner he can recover.

Ok. I started to post and didn't finish so here is the rest. We saw the pulmonologist this morning and he wants to do a sleep study on Bing. He believes that Bing suffers from sleep apnea, which isn't super serious but could be contributing to Bing's fatigue and isn't particularly great for your heart. The study is scheduled for next Thursday.

Also, I now am suffering from...... shingles! Shingles is stress induced, in the same family as chicken pox, painful and suuuuuper itchy. It gets worse before it gets better, although valtrex and hydrocodone are helping me cope. I still want to scratch the skin off of my right thigh ( that is where the outbreak is).

Maddox is still healthy and getting taller and funnier by the day. I have lots to update on and will do my best to catch you all up on our lives. Love you all!

P.S. Happy "27th " Birthday Tiff!

Snapshots

Photo Update!


Standing, and looking naughty


His favorite pass time.... spitting all over.


Mom and Dad went on a week long rafting trip so we looked after their place and played with all of their fun stuff; inflatable pool, pellet gun, barbecue, hot tub, yada yada.... we had lots of fun! Maddox in his pool and Bing, killing a pop can.

Rubber ducky lost his head, so sad :(

Maddox Wrecky Perrine

Shooting the pellet gun and enjoying the evening.

Strategically placed finger, Maddox. Looks like a peeper but it is just a finger ; )

Hot tubbin. Maddox loved it and would put his face in the water and then come up grinning and blinking the water out of his eyes.

We saw this black bear on our camping trip. The trip started in Wyoming, not far from Cook City and moved to Red Lodge when we could no longer stand the mosquitoes. Mister Black Bear was on the side of the road on our way back into Red Lodge.

Smooches from uncle Julian.

While "camping" in Red Lodge, we went to dinner and watched the pig races in Bear Creek.

Maddox and Ian, chillin by the fire.

Our awesome new highchair (thanks auntie Gail), and sassy Maddox. He is waaaaay more mobile and squirmy these days.

Post-nap, Maddox can be found smooshing his face, rattling the crib rail or standing up whining until you pick him up.

Anonymous Blessings

I worked the lunch shift today at the wine bar. When I showed up, the owner informed me that I had a delivery in the office. Some sweet person dropped off a big box of diapers and wipes. Not only is it a generous gift, it saves me a trip to the store... double blessing. Thank you anonymous angel!

Sweetest Thing

Maddox was having a hard time falling asleep and kept standing in his crib whining. After a solid hour of trying to lay him down and walk away, I sat in the rocker and sang to him. Maddox is not a "cuddler" and usually pushes away when you try to hold him close but, he laid in my arms and was calm. He reached up and touched my lips and started humming. There was no tune or cadence just a little hum, but it was enough to melt my heart. He kept it up for about ten minutes and then went to bed peacefully. He is the sweetest thing. I feel love so intense that it is painful, as if my heart couldn't hold another drop of love. I guess it is a good thing I have two boys to absorb the overflow.

Post Surgery

Bing was released from UW Medical Center on June 30th, just one day after his surgery. Since our flight home was not until July 4th, we returned home with his mom and dad, and spent a few days in Astoria recovering.

We were also able to spend a day in Grays Harbor, where Bing grew up (although, I don't think he will ever truly "grow up"). We had a wonderful visit with Great Uncle Burch and Bebe, time with his sister and most of her family, Tiffany, Nick and Danica, and a dinner without Maddox. Thanks Sis! We also drove by their old cranberry farm which now looks like a dumpy old field. The new owners apparently aren't into cranberries or the appearance of their property, too bad. The tide was low and we could see the oysters, however, they aren't easy to get to, so we looked from afar.

Mama Marcia drove us back to Seattle on the 3rd and we stayed one more night with our sweet little angel, Kathy. Our friends Bobby and Jaime and their little girl Ashley came down to visit with us for the evening. They treated us to some amazing sushi and then we walked around the Space Needle, sipped on Starbucks, ate ice cream and called it a night. Sorry we didn't get a picture with Jaime in it!

Although the circumstances were terrible, it was so nice to be able to spend time with people we love. We got to spend a week and a half with Bing's mom, and big chunks with his dad, sisters, and all of his good friends that came to visit. Thank you: Perrines, Randich family, Brody, Buster, Dan, Steven, Mikey, Bobby and Jaime.

Bing is healing nicely, but won't be able to work for another 3 weeks. Even then he will be on restricted, light duty work for another 6 months. We are exploring the idea of him going back to school and pursuing a new career. Right now, I am working full-time to make up for Bing not working. People have been very generous with us, which has helped us cover our bills thus far. There are two benefits in the works to help even further, one in Billings and one on the Harbor. So far, we have only received the bill for his ambulance rides totalling..... $3,000. Pretty exciting right?

Yippee....Summer!

Fridays are for Ladies who Lunch. Sometimes we meet at a restaurant with a patio, and sometimes we picnic at the park. Today was a picnic kinda day and it was so wonderful to sit in the sun, play on the playground and then cool off in the free kiddie pool. My mom and aunt Gail are geniuses for coming up with Friday lunches, and are sweet ladies for sharing it with their daughters!

I laid Maddox in his stroller in just his shorts and he fell asleep on the stroll home. Since he was sleeping, I walked an extra mile or two and picked up an iced coffee on my way home. I got a nice little tank-top-tan, exercise, and caffeine, what could be better!?

Surgery

Ok, here is the rundown of our (Bing's) day, yesterday.
5:20 am they woke Bing up to get showered and ready for the Electro Physiology test.
6:00 am I arrived to smooch on, cuddle with and pray over Bing before he was wheeled off.
6:30 am came and left
7:30 am came and left
8:15 they finally came to get him. Mind you, they told us to be at this place at 6:30 but no one showed up to the office, or answered the phone until 8 am.

Bing had to be awake for the procedure so that they could get an accurate portrayal of how his electrical system works. If he is sedated his heart rate drops and everything is generally skewed.

They inserted several catheters through his groin and up into his heart. They then mapped his heart with electrical impulses. They were able to stimulate an arrhythmia that sent his heart beat up to 300. Unaware that he was still conscious, but unable to speak, they shocked him to regulate his heart. Bing describes this procedure as Japanese torture. He was awake and helpless while they poked, prodded and shocked his heart... I can't even imagine.

About two hours later, they determined that a valve was not yet necessary and that we would go ahead with the defibrillator. They promptly wheeled him back down and began the surgery.

He was awake for this procedure too, although much more comfortable, I believe he described it as going to the spa in comparison to the first procedure. They made an incision just below his left collar bone and manually stretched his tissue into a pocket that could house his new hardware. They gave him the "good" unit that has two leads into his heart, rather than one. The two leads mean that he has less chance of being shocked inappropriately, we like this.

We escaped open heart surgery, and valve replacement, this time around. Eventually, Bing will need his valve replaced but the longer you wait, as long as it is safe, the better. Technology only gets better with time, and replacement valves degrade at a faster rate than your original equipment. So, we are praying for miraculous leaps and bounds in research and development of heart valves.

I have lots more that I could write on the subject of Bing's heart but I'll save some for later.

We thank God for the amazing network of friends and family that have been praying for us and supporting us through this week. We are exhausted and broken but we are also hopeful and on the road to recovery. We love you all and are so very thankful for everything you have done for us.

Here we go

Thanks everybody for all of your support, prayers, and well-wishes. I love and miss you all. - Bing

It is the morning of Bing's Electro Physiology test. The kind nurses woke him up at 5:20 this morning, I got here a bit before 6:00.

Mom and Dad Myers are on their way over from Spokane and are picking up Piper on the way. Marcia is back at the condo with Maddox and the phone calls have started. I brought my charger with me, knowing full well the amount of texts and calls that will be exchanged today :)

Bing's older sister, Tiffany (aka Sissy), took Maddox back to the harbor on Friday and brought him back yesterday. Their whole family seems to have really enjoyed the visitor, despite several MASSIVE blowouts. I sent a jar of prunes for Maddox and as it turns out, he only needs a spoonful every couple of weeks. He ate the prunes on Friday and is still having amazing "movements" three days later.

Apparently, Maddox had poo in his neck rolls, armpits and all over his legs. Sissy had poo all over her arms and legs and a nice spot on her carpet :) Better you than me Sis!

Maddox slept with Sissy and her husband Nick, and according to the stories I heard was not a very peaceful sleeper. He slapped, kicked and wiggled and at one point fell asleep with a handful of Nick's chest hair. What a little sweetheart.

Cousins, Adara and Danica, spoiled him with unending affection and playtime and even shared a Popsicle and an apple, only to pull it away with mass quantities of baby slobber all over!

I forgot to pack my camera cable, so I am unable to post pictures, but the second I am able I will share every single one of them.

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On another note. One of Bing's doctors graduated with my Cousin, Jarred Freese, some of you might know him. He is kind of a big deal. Anyway, Amanda Shepherd says hello to the Freese Family. She is super sassy and she gets my humor. Smart cookie too, she is only 26!

Amanda is in the front row on the far left.

UGH

The Electrical Physiology test has been postponed until Monday. Bing gets to come stay at the condo with us for the weekend as long as he is never alone and refrains from anything fun. Monday morning at 6:30 we head back to University of Washington Medical Center for Bing's test which takes a minimum of 3 hours and could go as long as 6 hours. This will answer a lot of questions such as: will they replace his pulmonic valve, will he need a pacemaker, will he need a defibrillator, how much longer will we need to be here etc...

The good news is that they feel he is stable enough to leave the hospital for several days and that this is less of an emergency than they originally let on. Sure, it needs to be dealt with, but they have the luxury of taking their time and testing him to be sure they are doing what is best and what is needed.

We continue to be grateful for everyone's prayers and support.

We love you all!

No Emergency Yet

So... they are taking their time and doing lots of tests. All of the tests, although time consuming, make certain that they don't perform a surgery that isn't needed. After meeting with three doctors (one of which saw Bing the last time he was flown into Seattle), we got some fuzzy answers and a plan for tomorrow. His heart is no worse than the last time he was seen. Since his condition hasn't progressed, they are hesitant to do a valve replacement, as it is a major surgery and not necessarily the answer to our problems.

They will be doing a test tomorrow where they insert some "wiring" in through his groin, up the veins, and to his heart. This allows them to deliver shocks and monitor how his heart is wired. Because he has had corrective surgery (at 14 months old) he has some scars in his heart, these scars can act as a short circuit, where the "electricity" goes round and round the scar and doesn't make it to it's destination. During this procedure, if they find such issues, they can make, what is essentially another scar, to close the circuit so that the "electricity" is routed in the right direction.

If this goes well, and they determine that Bing's issues stem from "electrical" problems and not from his valve, they will not replace it. He may or may not be getting a pacemaker and/or a defibrillator.

This test will answer a lot of questions as far as how long we will be here, and what they will ultimately do to Bing. If he doesn't have to have his valve replaced we may be out of the hospital as soon as Monday.

Bing's former Aunt has an amazing apartment overlooking downtown and the Space Needle and has made it available to all of us, and has agreed to accommodate me when everyone else has to return to work. It is ten minutes from the hospital and she even has a cute little porto-crib so I didn't have to bring my pack-n-play.

For all of you Medical people that read this... don't judge me for my terminology and limited understanding of all of this. I took notes and everything but I am in a pitch black room with Maddox relating all of this from memory. Feels like college!

I know and believe that God is bigger than all of this, he has a plan that is better than anything we could have dreamed. I believe that this is a blessing from which Bing will enjoy a better quality, and much longer life. We truly appreciate all of the love, support, and prayers that have been extended to us. Thank you for being available, even if I haven't called you back.

Please Pray

After collapsing into convulsions and a trip to the ER, Bing was flown to Seattle to undergo emergency heart surgery. Maddox and I are still in Billings waiting to find a flight out to be with him. I'll try to keep you posted either here or through Addie's blog. Please pray for Bing's safety and recovery, and my wild emotions.

Mobile Maddox

Maddox was playing nicely in the living room so I went to the kitchen, ten feet away, to get a cup of coffee. When I turned back around, Maddox had dumped my purse, and all of the Milk duds that were in it. He smacked his lips a couple of times, indicating that the dud in his mouth was making him salivate even more than usual. I felt around in his mouth for the dud and found nothing, but he continued to work his mouth and drool sweet caramel. I finally pried what looked like a caramel retainer from the roof of his mouth.


About half an hour later I found Maddox laying on his back with his feet propped up, looking at a magazine! Unfortunately I didn't get a picture, but Maddox sure showed me a sassy side today.

Well Baby Visit

We had Maddy Max's 9 month visit today and he is perfectly wonderful.
Stats:
Length 28 1/2 inches... 55th percentile
Weight 19 lb 13 oz... 45th percentile(yes, lighter than last Thurs)
HEAD 18 3/4 inches... 96th percentile...Yikes!

Where to start?!

Since it has been so long, there is a lot to update you on!

Maddox has both of his bottom front teeth.
He weighs 20lbs 2 oz
He refuses to crawl, and is no closer to walking...good for me!!!!
He loves the baby swing at the park
He love, love, loves animals, fire, and water. All of these make him wiggle and squeal with delight.

He is a wonderful camper. This point gets extra emphasis because Bing and I were there for the twins first attempt at camping and it did NOT go well. We were nervous that he wouldn't like the tent, the new sounds and smells, dad's snoring etc... He was a champ the first time, waking up twice but settling back down. The second time, he slept for 13 hours straight, not a peep, a grunt, or a cry. We actually checked him several times to be sure he was breathing!

I bundled him up in a footed sleeper and his snowsuit with hand flaps to keep every little bit covered and warm. He was sleeping on his stomach and looked like a kid that had fallen down with arms outstretched and then couldn't get up. It was very funny, yet sweet.



He eats solid food at every meal and is weaning himself from breastfeeding. He only wants me in the morning and right before bed. He does, however, love to bounce his face off of my chest which makes me laugh and then he looks at me with a scrunched up face and kind of snort/laughs.

Bing is really enjoying the construction business and seems to be quite good at it. I am working 3 to 4 days a week at the wine bar while Bing stays with the boy. We are seriously hoping that we will win the Lottery so that we can afford to do more of the things that we love, but mostly so that we would be able to jet back and forth between MT and OR. We've been missing all of our family out west and Bing longs for more temperate weather:)

More pictures to come!

Very quick

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Our "free" internet is once again, not working. I have just enough time to check my e-mail at my parent's house before Maddox freaks out, because... it is dinner time and I didn't bring him any dinner. Guess it is time to jet home and feed my unhappy son.

Toothy

Maddox cut his first tooth! He is 8 months old now and is getting closer to crawling. He looks like a little toddler and is sweeter than ever. The most frequently asked question is, "is he always this happy"? The answer is, mostly yes. Even with the discomfort of his teeth coming through he is generally very pleasant to be around.

I painted Maddox's initials and embellished them with paper. It is funny to hear people try to figure out what they stand for.

*Maddox, Bing.... what does the "p" stand for?

*Lane did you hyphenate your last name... Burch-Perrine? No, my maiden name was Myers. Oh, who is Burch?



*****
This was my first official Mother's Day and it was lovely... except that I was really sick. Bing brought me flowers and breakfast in bed, my favorite stuffed french toast from McCormicks. There was a prepaid coffee card in the flowers and we had a babysitter for the whole day. Bing and I got lunch and just hung out which was fantastic. For dinner, Bing grilled up some burgers and steak and he made me lobster! We enjoyed my parent's hot tub and nice weather, it was a great day.

Party

Mason and Smith, my twin nephews, just turned two! They had a "friend" party in Bozeman on April 30th, their actual birthday, and a "family" party this last Saturday. Of course they were sick and didn't appear to be having a whole lot of fun until the cake and bubbles came out.


My dad and my uncle Todd are AWESOME....enough said.

Up to the minute

Maddox has been slightly ambivolent about solid foods. I try and try but he just isn't very interested most of the time. We have those cool little mesh, self feeders so I stuffed a chunk of banana in it figuring that he would probably just chew on the handle. He ate half of a banana while joyfully screaming and squawking at me for a good hour. This video was taken about 30 minutes ago. Enjoy!

Beer and Money

Is it possible that we are born with a love for beer and money? Or is it that we just want what others have? None of these photos are staged, just Maddox stealing from his dad and loving every minute of it.

He may have learned how to take money out of Bing's wallet cause he sees me do it so often! HA HA HA HA HA!

AAAAAAH the Sun

Yesterday got up to 85 degrees, I LOVE it! Maddox and I have been spending more and more time outside going on walks, swinging in the shade, and tanning in the nude...Maddox that is, I keep it PG-13 on my end.

Monday, Maddy-Max and I went on a nice long walk, picked up an iced coffee and then stumbled upon an afternoon Baseball game at the new ball park. We watched for a bit from a shady spot along the fence, because sitting in the stadium is too traditional. Maddox has learned that sweet potato puffs are yummy and looks deep into the cup for more when they are all gone.

Tuesday, my mom and I took Maddox for a nice walk around a nearby park, enjoyed the beautiful weather, and talked about important stuff. Gotta love being close enough to enjoy life together.

Wednesday, Maddox and I ventured out to my folk's house and spent some time sunning ourselves and "riding ponies". Madnasty was due for a nap, therefore the adults enjoyed the activities much more than the babe.... ingrate.

Maddox now sits all by himself without flinging his body back and knocking his brain around. He
discovered a friend in the mirror and could spend the entire day flirting with himself.

Bonk!

Yesterday, Maddox was sitting in his crib playing with toys while I put his laundry away. At one point, he threw his head back against the crib rail and then looked at me with a poo eating grin. I smiled and said "don't do that silly, you'll hurt yourself". He then continued smiling while slamming his head about five more times.

Last night, Bing and I were sitting together playing with Maddox propped up on my knees. He rocked forward and then slammed his head back into my legs and then.... uncontrolled laughter. We had some fun with it after that. Enjoy the video!

Addie's Wedding

YIPPEE, Addie got hitched! It is official, Adele is married to a wonderful man named Rob and is now Adele Bedford. There had to have been around 400 people at the ceremony and reception, because, the whole world has been waiting and praying for her to meet a wonderful man who, would love her and Blake with all of their bumps and bruises. It was a beautiful wedding with Rob, Addie, and Blake walking down the aisle to the theme song from Star Wars and I cried the instant the music started playing. I didn't really get any photos from the wedding since I was holding Maddox but the few I do have I shall share.

Maddox and I drove up to Bozeman Friday morning and had a long stop 30 minutes into the drive so I could clean up the huge mess he had made in his britches. I threw his onesie away and spent a good 15 minutes and a ton of wipees to get him "clean", all while he is screaming, not crying, screaming. I was happy to get to Bozeman and drop him off with a babysitter so I could go get pampered.
Friday afternoon, all of the Myers gals got pedicures and chit-chatted which was relaxing and fun. Friday night we all went to the Bozeman Beer Fest and enjoyed unlimited pours from a BUNCH of Micro Breweries, which was also Julian's 22nd Birthday celebration. Saturday, several of us got our hair done and sipped on mimosas; eventhough they had no attendants I sure looked like I should be a bridesmaid. I felt sassy! Saturday afternoon we did family wedding photos and that night they tied the knot.

I wish I were better at planning ahead. This said, the four of us shared a good sized room. We had two blow up matteresses and the pack-and-play... no blankets though. Maddox had his favorite blankets but the first night, the grownups slept with towels draped over us for warmth. Our gracious hosts provided us with comforters the second night and we were all much happier. Maddox is teething and, I presume, didn't like the new surroundings, and screamed bloody murder until someone rescued him.... I didn't get much sleep. Although it was a wonderful weekend, I'm really happy it is over. The anxiety caused by my lack of planning, all of the activities, and lack of sleep is now gone after a great night back in our own beds.

Maddox wore his tuxedo and was very regal looking, sadly, it was the last time. He has grown to be a small man and no longer fits into his fancy duds :(

Rather than do the Easter festivities, since Maddox is clueless, Bing, Julian, Maddox and I went to Chico Hot Springs and enjoyed wonderful, sunny weather and warm spring waters. Maddox loves swimming, and particularly loved all the warm sunniness.

After leaving Chico we missed the turn to get back to the interstate and wound up taking a slightly longer, more beautiful route and stopped for a "Montana" photo shoot. We got back to Billings around 9:30 p.m. and crashed into bed. What a weekend!

Sunday Funday

Papa Barney and Aunt Piper made the very long journey over to visit. It was Pipers first time meeting Maddox and he really adores her; I have never seen him snuggle as much as he did this weekend. It was very, very sweet and heartwarming to see him love on his family. We had a wonderful time visiting and just hanging out. As Barney put it.... When we come out to visit we run around all over the place and spend a little bit of time with them. When they come out to visit, we feel "obligated" to spend most of our time hanging out with them. Of course there is a bit of truth to it, but not in the heartless way that it sounds. We truly enjoyed every second we got to spend with Barney and Piper and are looking forward to another visit very soon!

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Today was a beautiful springish day. The birds were chirping outside of our apartment, it was sunny and a balmy 42 degrees. Bing, Maddox, Julian, Aubyn, Hans and I barbecued burgers, built a fire in the fire-pit, and Aubyn and I did some yard work. It was a perfect Sunday afternoon full of friends and good food.

Julian climbed up onto the clothesline pole and wasn't sure how to get back down. I suggested he lower himself onto my shoulders and I could get him to safety, to which he insisted that I couldn't do it and he would break me. As you can see from the pictures I DID do it and I am not broken(just a little compressed), I was even able to offer him a slow gallop up and down the yard until Bing lowered him from my shoulders with a very metro sexual man-hug.

*******
Bing Maddox and I all wore Stripes, hats and chuck taylors today. It was slightly corny but we got a decent family photo out of it.

*******
Maddox is 7 months today. My how the time is flying! He gets sweeter and sweeter each day and learns knew ways to make me laugh several times a day.

He is teething pretty seriously now, I think he will have at least one tooth by the end of the week, we'll see.
He now knows how to use his Johnny Jump Up and thoroughly enjoys the exercise.
He isn't crawling yet but he rolls all over the place and flops on his back to get where he wants to go. I can no longer trust him to sleep on our bed, as I came in to him hanging over the edge, head first, and not at all upset. He likes to hang upside down, it's weird.
He is very ticklish, says dadadada interspersed amongst many squeals, squeaks and screams and smiles at me when I ask him to say mama.

I marvel at the amount of love one person can feel for another and it gives me a slight glimpse of what God must feel for all of his babies. I literally feel full to the brim, no... overflowing.

Growly-bear

Maddox has learned a new sound! He has started to growl in a funny way that sounds like he is trying to poop, only he does it all of the time. It is particularly funny when he is breastfeeding and he starts to growl at me like he is protecting his food source... less funny when he actually clamps down with his old man gums.

Tongue!

Maddox has discovered his tongue. He is sticks it out among a variety of expressions and we think it is hilarious.... of course we do, we are his parents. I have caught him on camera and will now share a whole lot of pictures with you. You're welcome.


Contest
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Oh ya, we entered a picture of Maddox in the Carhartt Cutest Kid Contest and then forgot about it. We didn't vote, and we certainly didn't tell anyone else to vote either.... he won week three. Nothing major, just a $10 gift card to Shiptons, but very funny to receive that in the mail after completely forgetting about it. We decided we might enter another photo so we made him a fringed, cut off onesie and dolled him up for a photo shoot, and by "we" I mean Bing. Here is the first winning photo, he is soooo sweet, I LOVE his face!

Piddy-Paddy

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I have no idea why we celebrate this day, but who doesn't like to get dressed up and get rowdy? Well, we got dressed up, but there was no rowdy.... Bing and I invited over a bunch of friends and cooked up:


9 lbs corned beef

6 lbs red potatoes

3 lbs cabbage

1 lemon curd blueberry tart

About 11 friends showed up at one point or another and we had a great time celebrating this unknown holiday. I asked them each to bring a six pack of their favorite beer and now we have half of a cooler full of random brews which we will now enjoy for the rest of the week! Surprisingly, there wasn't very much food left over, Bing and I each have enough for lunch tomorrow and that is all!

As is common with the Myers women, there are pictures of the event and none of them include me... oh well.

My sassy neighbors whom I love L to R: Becky, Bethany, Madnasty and Nate. I love the random expressions and Mad's sideways glance

Kaden giving Maddox the bird.

HAIR!
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I'm trying to grow my hair out for the first time in about a decade, it is winter, my hair has seen no sun and I have been feeling frumpy for the last two months, blaaaaah! Thanks to my gracious sister, Reese, I was able to have my hair cut and lightened yesterday and I am a new woman!

It sounds silly, but it is truly amazing how much my hair can affect my attitude; I was kind of grumpy and borderline depressed until yesterday. One inch of hair lifted 20 lbs off of my spirit and I feel younger and more vibrant than I have in a long time. Maybe I need to spend more time reading my Bible and rejuvenating my spirit, but my new hairdo gave me a jump start. Thanks Reesie, I sure love you!

A couple of things

Maddox had his 6 month doctor visit and is growing like he should....sort of. Here are his stats, tell me what you think might be wacky.

Weight: 17 lbs 7 oz 50 percentile
Length: 26 7/8 inches 70 percentile
Head: 18 inches 95 percentile

Now tell me he isn't a Myers Baby! Holy huge head!

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Funny things Maddox is into right now

* Grabbing my bottom lip and stretching it to the max, while breast feeding
* Wiggling all over the floor, arching his back and flopping until he is across the room
* Shaking his toys so hard they hit him in the face, much like Bing's dog, Rudy
* Squealing, and I'm talking high pitch squealing
* Kicking and kicking during bath time, he loves to splash



* Reaching, grabbing, pinching or kicking anything with his feet (he has monkey toes too)
* Sticking his tongue out like a monkey



Who's a monkey?

Rosy

Yes, we are all still sick. Apparently this is the cold that pretends to go away and then....PEEK-A-BOO! its back. Well, ours haven't even pretended to go away yet, so we could be in for a loooong ride.

On a positive note, Maddox is still as happy as can be. He is a very well behaved, sick baby. He snuggles with me, smiles, and laughs then coughs and goes right back to smiling. God must love us.

Maddox got his hands on a red vine licorice stick the other day, I didn't take it away immediately because I wanted to get his reaction. He seemed to really enjoy it and was tinted a Rosy red by the time I did take it away. Don't worry, I'm sure it was organic, and perfectly healthy for a six month old! Like I always say...don't judge me.

A little of this and a little of that

Maddox has his first cold....snot, coughing, sneezing and restless sleep oh my! Despite the ugliness of his cold, his attitude is still great and he is all smiles, as long as you are giving him your undivided attention.

I may have created a monster. Because I am with him ALL THE TIME, he has grown accustomed to constant attention. Now when he is awake it is much harder to get anything accomplished. Oh well, we'll figure it out I guess.


**********
Last night Maddox threw up into Bing's mouth. I tried to help him get cleaned up but I was laughing so hard I was mostly useless.


Maddox had just eaten and I passed him off to Bing. He got a tickle and started to cough which in turn triggered his gag reflex and so he spit half of his meal onto Bing's shoulder. In disgust, Bing lifted him up higher to get Maddox out of his own mess and then came round two.... The other half of his dinner came out right into/onto Bing's mouth! What a magical time this is.


**********
Maddox is really teething now, wanting to chew on everything that comes into orbit, anything within two feet is fair game! Trying to feed him cereal is like dancing, I have to weave in and out of his flailing hands to get the spoon to his face. Then, he grabs it and shoves it back to where his molars are apparently trying to break through, and goes to town.

I have finished my first quilt! Mama Marcia gifted me with a sewing machine for Christmas and my first project was to make a quilt for my friend Adriane, who is due to have a baby boy today. I'm praying that he comes quickly before she takes someone's life! Anyway, it turned out nicely, especially considering it is my first and I am self taught in the ways of quilting.