Our All Stars!

Landon - bottom left

Tanner - Center

Gram

My Gram was a loving, feisty, wonderful woman...she had children, grandchildren and great grands that loved her so much!  At Thanksgiving, after having received a clean bill of health at a check up the week before she developed what they thought was pneumonia.  An x-ray later revealed a mass in her chest cavity that was pressing on her lungs, causing her symptoms.  At that time, her doctor declared that there was nothing he could do, surgery on a 94 year old (even if she would agree to it, which I doubt she would have) would surely do more harm than good and her children took over making sure she was well cared for and loved for what time she had left.  The doctor had supposed that, due to the sheer size of the mass, she probably had 2 weeks to 2 months left.  So began 6 months of love lessons for us grands and our children.  Watching my mother and her siblings love on Gram despite being exhausted mentally, emotionally and physically was such a lesson on selflessness and family...our family will never forget.  I can remember all the many times we would pray for Gram.  Tanner would ask God to not let Gram "get dead" and Landon would ask Him to help Gram feel better.  I just prayed that God would be kind and not allow her to be in pain, to protect her from fear and anxiety and to give her peace...however that came.
On Monday, April 30, my mother called to tell me that they were having a hard time staying ahead of Gram's pain due to the fact that she was having trouble swallowing the pain pills and they had made the hard decision to move her to Beacon Place, a beautiful hospice facility surrounded by lush gardens.  There she could be given IV meds to control her pain.  The transport came at 10am on Tuesday and she was taken without incident to BP.  My mother doesn't think she was even aware of being moved...for which I am thankful!  My aunt Lynne and cousin Gaye spent the first night with her while my mom and her older sister went back to Grams to get a good sleep so that they could take their turn the next day.  I talked with Mom around 8:30am as she was on her way to BP and she said that Lynne and Gaye shared that she had had a peaceful night but had some difficulty breathing.  When my mom arrived, she and Jane said good morning to Gram and then were visiting with one another...a few minutes later they realized that Gram was gone.  My mother is certain that she was breathing when they came in and that it happened some time after she and Jane arrived...almost as if she was waiting for them to get there.  It is so hard to lose someone that was such an integral part of our family, I mean, she started this whole thing, right!? :)  As sad as we are and as much as we will miss her...we are thrilled to know that she is in Heaven with her Lord...and, as my cousin said, able to have a date with her husband who has been gone for 48 years. 

So, I am thankful for having a Gram as wonderful as she was...thankful that my boys were able to know her and love her and be loved by her...thankful that she got to meet little Keaton, her 24th great-grandchild...but most of all...I am thankful she finally got to meet Jesus...she had been waiting to meet Him her whole life!  God is good...even when life, and the end of life, is hard. 

Two Month check up

Keaton Crosby had his 2 month check up today...and as expected...he is following in the Powell boy tradition of being a chunky monkey!  He is actually 10 weeks 2 days old and weighs in at 14lbs 7 oz and is 24 inches long!   He got a clean bill of health and did great with his shots...didn't flinch for the first but made up for it on the second...he was pretty mad!  the boys were impressed with his bandaids...spiderman and ironman...pretty cool!  So, I guess that explains mommy's sore back and arm! :)

Playing catch up!

Seriously, seriously behind on these blog entries!! It is unbelievable how many times I think "this would make a cute entry" or " I have GOT to post this photo" only to have life happen and then not get it done! SO, I am going to back-date and try to include the most exciting recent happenings in the Powell house! Enjoy!

One Month check up!

Took Keaton Crosby for his 1 month check up today! Our precious boy is 10 pounds even and 22 inches long! For reference, at 1 month Landon was 10lbs3oz, Tanner was 13lbs and Mathis was 9lbs, 14oz...so he is right in the middle of things! The doctor was impressed with his head control and how hard he pushed with his little legs and how alert he was...and he was a little tough guy when it came to his shot!! Only cried for a moment and then calmed right down! His doctor did decide to prescribe Zantac for his reflux and we are to monitor how things are going...hopefully it is something he will outgrow once he is able to sit and be upright after feeds. For now, he will get meds twice a day and we will be more dilligent about keeping him upright after he eats! He just gets more adorable every day...we are so in love!

Yikes!

This morning we were up and going like any other Sunday...got to Waffle House around 8 for breakfast and then headed over to church. We had dropped both of the little boys off at their classes and Greg, Keaton and I were taking Landon to his Upstreet class. As Landon gave Keaton a kiss goodbye, he noticed that Keaton had spit up...a LOT! We headed out into the hallway where we quickly discovered exactly how much he had lost...and the peculiar thing was the color...bright yellow. Being a strictly breastfed baby, it was a little strange that he was spitting up at all, but add the fact that it seemed he was spitting up stomach bile and that was a little disconcerting...so we called the nurse helpline at CHOA. Once she realized he was only 4weeks/4days she suggested we proceed to the ER immediately. If that won't stop you dead in your tracks...I don't know what will!

It seems that it is fairly common at 1 month to discover something called Pylorus Stenosis (totally unsure of the spelling). Basically, it is the muscle that separates the stomach and the small intestine...and sometimes it can become too strong or tight and prevent the passing of food from the stomach to the intestines, resulting in excessive vomiting. It is not uncommon and so when the nurse heard his age and what had happened, she may have gotten a little over excited. It turns out that he is completely fine and is having the normal passing of his milk, but he does have reflux and is very gassy, which could explain why he tends to cry fairly religiously after feeds. So, I was instructed to be liberal with the gas drops and ask his pediatrician about reflux meds at his 1 month check up on Monday.

We are so thankful that he is fine...but doesn't he look adorable in his little hospital gown?! :)

1 week check up

Sweet baby Keaton is one week old!   At his one week well check today he weighed 7lbs 12 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long!  He is gaining appropriately and all his parts seem to be just perfect. He is still sporting his umbilical cord (which is looking pretty gross at this point) and his plastibel (circ) is just before coming off.  All in all...a very healthy and incredibly adorable baby boy!