Life is so busy that time seems to fly by and escape me! I just haven't been able to keep up with blogging or much else lately besides Mason's "rotovirus laundry"! I spoke too soon, 2 weeks ago, when I said Mason's tummy seemed to be on the mend from that awful virus.....
At least 5 weeks now into this virus he still isn't completely over it. The docs believe he is no longer contagious, but his little tummy is just super off balance and messed up as an after affect from the rotovirus. He is better, but definitely not back to normal! Puking and diarrhea-ing still sometimes several times a day (some days are much better than others) he was down another pound at Tx clinic this week to 28 lbs. Poor LITTLE guy can't afford the weight loss! The good news is that his echo this week looked good and his heart remains unaffected by the rejection. So the docs' main concern right now is the weight loss. Mason's body just needs to kick these rotovirus after affects so he can gain some weight back!
I also heard back this week that our insurance has denied covering the specific antibody blood tests that we were hoping to do through Stanford. I won't give up though! Now I will be working on an appeal. In fact I will appeal it however many times it takes until they approve it! Insurance can be so frustrating!!!
Here's some pictures to show what else we've been
up to in our family the last couple of months.....
Since April was National Donate Life month Mason
and I participated with my Heart Mom friend Shuntelle
and her beautiful daughter Kaidence in a special event
at Primary Children's. We visited, with 2 represtatives from
Intermountain Donor Services, the PICU, CICU, and
Cardiology doctors and nurses. We gave them Donate Life pins
to thank them for suporting organ donation and for
taking such good care of all of our transplant kiddos.
Mason started to get his chubby cheeks back
for a short time while on higher doses of
steroids earlier in the spring, but it didn't last
long because he's now on a low maintenance
dose of steroids and he's lost weight from the
nasty rotovirus.
Chubby cheeks or not Mason is truly one silly boy.
He coninues to be very picky about what he wears
and gets attached to certain outfits for several
days and sometimes several weeks. He will cry
when it gets wet or dirty and will sit by the washer
until its done and he can put it back on!
This here is Mason's 'Hawaii Five-O" outfit. It started
with the just the Hawaii shirt, but then each day he
added new things to his belt. And, each item had
to be in its place even while he was sleeping!
The collection of items hooked on his belt
included 3 squirt guns, 6 orange bracelets (which
he said were handcuffs), and 5 highlighters (these
were his flashlight laser guns). Creative little boy!
Springtime always means lots of sporting events
to watch and support.With soccer, baseball, and
lacrosse we had up to 7 games a week to attend!
Ammon always makes soccer a fun and comical event.....
at times having to be reminded to focus on the game,
with sweet coaches and team mates who allowed him
to join his team and have a great time! Thank you!!!
Mason of course was Ammon's #1 fan.
Mason also looks forward to Braiden's baseball games
(his season still isn't over) each week. Here he is with
his sweet big sister Kaitlin and his darling cousin Madeline
enjoying a little time on the swings in between games.
When Mason follows all the other young children over
to the sandbox during the games I'm always a nervous
wreck about germs. But he's got to be allowed to be
a kid right? And, thank goodness for hand sanitizer!
Braiden continues to be a valuable talented player
on his Clutch baseball team. He plays catcher and
pitcher a lot, but can really play any position
on the field.
For Memorial day Braiden's coach gave the boys new
jerseys. Each boy has a different name of a military jet
on the back of their jersey in memory and support of
those who fight for our country.
His kind and thoughtful coach even had Memorial
day jerseys made for Ammon and Mason!
So I'm sure you can imagine what trumped Mason's
'Hawaii Five-O' outfit and became his new favorite!
With this "AH-6 Little Bird" (aka: little bomber)
I have spent many times, even several times at 2 or 3am
sitting in front of the washer waiting for this special
jersey to wash because he got it dirty or threw up on
it! Spoiled? I guess, just a little bit! It's usually just
a battle I'm too tired to fight!
Mason is also Braiden's #1 fan and gets
very upset if we have to miss a game!
Go Miracle Mason and go Clutch Baseball!
Next is Preston's lacrosse, which is always
super fun to watch!
Go Lone Peak Lacrosse and especially#15!
Preston loves lacrosse almost as much as skiing! Both
at which he's very talented. He scored many goals, attacked,
and helped make his team one of the top 4 in the state!
He also has rallied up many friends and neighbors
to join this great sport.
And can you guess who Preston's #1 fan is?
Of course! It's Mason!
As springtime has come to and end, Mason is
dressed and ready for some outdoor fun this summer.
And, look who already lost 2 teeth!
In fact he lost them both in 1 week.
This handsome 12 year old graduated from 6th
grade. It's so hard to believe that my second
kiddo is off to Jr High!
Congratulations Preston!!!
It's hard to believe another school year has gone by!
Kaitlin and our neighbor Cason were more than
ready to start the lazy days of summer.... so like
most Jr. high kids they skipped the last day of school.
But, Ammon would never skip the last day of school!
He was way too excited for the end of the year party!
Ammon and Mason started off summer vacation by
attending an outdoors community safety fair. There's
no way these 2 boys would pass up a visit with
their favorite heroes!
With the Life Flight helicopter, ambulances,
fire engines, and police cars all in attendance
these 2 boys were in absolute heaven!
Mason shocked us all by letting the firefighter
dress him up in his gear! All though Mason is
obsessed with firefighters and police officers
he usually likes to watch from a distance!
Kaitlin, my niece Natalie, and I had a fun girls
night out at the Taylor Swift concert!!!
As I posted about briefly 2 weeks ago,
our kids started off the summer with a
super fun cousin's camp. We are grateful
for Aunts and a Grandma who take the time
to plan this and make it all possible!
With the cousins all numbered from 1-43
our kiddos are numbers 8, 12, 18, 24, & 31.
Good times!!!
I ran my 2nd annual American Fork Canyon 1/2 half
Marathon on June 15. It felt so good to cross the finish!!!
I love this race because the theme is Live, Survive, Thrive
and its proceeds go to help those fighting cancer.
and its proceeds go to help those fighting cancer.
I dedicated my efforts that day to my own super hero
and fighter, Miracle Mason (Heart Transplant Survivor),
all of our Heart Buddies, and my new little friend Adler
(and his parents, Jaime and Sara Utley ) who is fighting
against cancer at this time. Never give up HOPE!
LIVE, SURVIVE, THRIVE
Now, after a few very busy months, we are headed to California for a fun week at the beach for the 4th of July. The drive is always long and exhausting with all the kiddos, but much worth it once we get there. Here we come Cali for some much needed sun and sand!!!
My quote of the month:
"But first, you must believe." -Peter Pan
