Cardiologist

Today we had our appointment with the cardiologist for Jonathan. Although we didn't expect anything to be wrong, we wanted to rule out the possibility that a heart condition has been contributing to his lack of appetite and poor weight gain.

They gave him a quick exam and then hooked him up to an EKG machine. The assistant had us take off Jonathan's shirt so she could place the contacts on his upper body. He seemed to find the ordeal amusing, since he thought we were just placing stickers all over his body.

The cardiologist came in and listened to his heart after the EKG was done. He was probably in the room for less then 5 minutes and told us that everything seemed fine to him. He mentioned that Jonathan did seem to have a Still's Murmur, which combined with the EKG was just the sign of a strong, young heart.

A murmur isn't anything to be concerned about in and of itself. The strict definition of a murmur is an additional sound present when listening to the heart. Sometimes it could just be the sound of blood flowing through a normal heart; other times the sign of something more serious. It's an observation not a diagnosis. So, based on Jonathan's EKG and a physical exam, the doctor quickly ushered out of his waiting room.

On the way out we overheard him talking to someone, saying that everything seems to be normal from his end...AND, that any weight gain issues might have something to do with the size, or lack thereof, his parents. I guess since Jonathan was playing like crazy in the waiting room proved to them that he doesn't suffer from a lack of energy related to a heart condition.

We didn't expect to find anything. This could be our last specialist. We are hopeful that we're in the home stretch and the only thing now left to do is to get Jonathan off of the g-tube. If you're interested in reading a good article on heart murmurs, click on the link below.

http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/heart/murmurs.html

Mother's Day Photos

A good portrayal of things around the house - Julia as sweet as ever and Jonathan constantly causing trouble...

We Fun Park

FC Bayern Hotspur

Eat your heart out Martha Stewart...

A whole new world has been opened up to me. That world, most likely dominated by soccer moms and adolescent girls, has a new member.  Apparently, I'm the only one that didn't know about iron-on printer paper.  In today's high-tech world, all one needs to create a completely individualized t-shirt is Avery Inkjet paper from Wal-Mart and a good imagination.  It goes without saying that most people already have a printer and an iron at home.

Why would I ever buy another t-shirt when I can make one exactly how I want it for a mere $10 (including the shirt from Old Navy)?  I'm just sayin'. Considering I need a couple of new t-shirts anyway, I'm probably going to make a few more to wear around this summer.

You may be asking what this shirt is all about. The Premier League season ended on Sunday in spectacular fashion. Manchester City won the league by scoring not one, but two, goals in the final 5 minutes of their game. Since all of the final day's games are played at the same time, I was flipping back and forth between about four to five games, depending on what was happening and the importance of the match. In case you still think that this sport and league haven't caught on in this country, Fox aired all 10 games at the same time on their various network of channels.

Spurs ended the season in fourth place. All year we held third, but over the final few games we fell in the standings to fourth. Unfortunately, we were fourth by only one point and third was taken by Arsenal, our arch-rivals. Normally, fourth would be a great finish because it's enough to qualify for the Champions League next season.  This year, however, it might not be good enough.

The reason why fourth may not be good enough is simple. Four clubs from England qualify. However, the defending champion earns an automatic spot in next year's tournament. On Saturday, Chelsea, who finished in sixth in the English Premier League play Bayern Munich in this year's Champions League Final.  If Chelsea win, they will automatically qualify for next year's tournament and will knock out the fourth placed team.

So, all Spurs fans are pulling hard for Bayern to win on Saturday. I'm not the only one who came up with the idea to combine the logos of Spurs and Bayern Munich or to put them on a t-shirt. I made this shirt because a group of us, around 15 strong, are getting together on Saturday at a sports bar to watch the game. I reserved a private side room at a restaurant that boasts surround sound and a 100+ inch projection screen.  It should be a good time...as long as Bayern win and Spurs book their place in next year's Champions League.

Mother's Day 2012

I don't normally make posts of this nature for all the world to read, but this past year has been far from normal, so I guess it's fitting.

Last Mother's Day we had been out of the hospital for only a few days and our journey with Jonathan was just beginning. We had a new feeding tube to deal with, vomiting, countless visits to the doctor, job searching, Julia starting preschool and, of course, both of us working in addition to responsibilities around the house coming up over the next year. I went back and looked at our detailed notes and counted 226 times over the past year that Jonathan either spit up or vomited his entire feeding. That's not a typo - it really has been 226 times since we started taking notes around Mother's Day of last year.

Yet, despite going through an entire year of getting up at five a.m. to put in a few hours of work, taking Jules to school, feeding Jonathan three to four times a day, working some more, running errands, doing laundry, entertaining the kids, etc., we're all still together and all relatively happy and healthy. Last week Jonathan visited the pediatrician and was back on the second percentile for height to weight ratio for the first time since he was two months old. Julia, always a handful "upstairs", is still a healthy and happy little girl. I always have clean and ironed clothes and food for work, and the house is still cleaner then most even if we have some help.

It's probably safe to say that if I had married someone with less character, things may be very different. Life can throw you plenty of curve balls. The true character of someone is revealed when life gets tough. I know Stacey has given up a lot over the past year (and longer) for this family. Proverbs 31:10, 27-28 sums it up nicely: "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her".

Every year is different. Some years we can talk about how great things have been. Some years call for romance. This year was one of those in our marriage and family where Stacey proved that she was just as tough mentally and physically as anyone I've ever known. I always knew that she had my back, but this past year she's proven that to the kids and me on a daily basis. Other people, even probably our immediate family, have no idea how hard she's had to work or what it's been like day in, day out - a non-stop grind.

So, from the kids and me, Happy Mother's Day Stacey. You've been the glue that has kept us all together - happy and healthy. Your selflessness and drive to be a good mother and wife is appreciated much more then words can ever say. Because of you, our family will have many happy years together to come. Thank you for everything this year. Happy Mother's Day Stacey.

Love,

Aaron, Julia, and Jonathan

Happily Married

This morning Julia was flipping through some old photos on the iPad, and ran across one from our second anniversary. She studied it for awhile, turned to Stacey and asked, "Momma, why do you guys look so happy?"

All either of us could was laugh.  Let's see, how can I explain this?  Well, we were living in Hawaii, making lots of money...  No?  OK sweetie, um, well, we just look really young and rested in that picture, that's all.

Time for some four-year old little girl induced self-reflection...

Silliness

Jonathan is hilarious. The last two mornings he's been doing something pretty funny when I've come into his room to get him up from bed. 

Yesterday I opened his door just in time to see him body slam his stuffed panda. After wrestling the panda for a few seconds, he put him back down on his crib, stood back up, took a few steps back, and then body slammed and wrestled his stuffed panda again.  He did this a third time and then stopped - probably because panda tapped out. 

This morning I opened the door to his room and he was standing up in his crib with his feeding tube between his teeth (a la a rose) and rocking the crib back and forth so it would make fun noises against the wall. When he saw me come into his room he gave me a huge smile and then tried to dive under his blanket and hide.

In related kid news, Julia has a new saying.  Apparently, I'm "way too silly to be a Dad".

Skin And Bones

The national news tonight said that over 33% of Americans are obese. That's the class above being overweight, or, in other words, just plain fat. The explanation is pretty simple...people are just eating more then they should. Either they eat too much or don't exercise, or both.

Colorado is a fit state. In fact, it has the lowest adult obesity rate in the country. Even still, people at work comment all the time that I'm skinny. I guess it's all relative. For the record, my BMI is EXACTLY in the middle of the normal range. I just look skinny because I'm normal (that implies that the people that say things like that aren't normal, if you didn't catch that).

Below is the picture of what Stacey and I had for dinner.  It's a homemade bean and rice burrito, with some veggies, a little avocado, and some condiments. Before you think that this isn't enough food, I estimate that it has the same amount of calories as a Big Mac. My estimate of the nutrition facts for a serving will surprise you:

Calories - 550
Fat - 12 grams
Carbs - 83 grams (adjusting for 18 grams of fiber)
Protein - 20 grams

Sure, I eat out here and there and grab ice cream with the kids. But that's definitely the exception. This example, in addition to regular exercise, is what normal is supposed to look like. Remember, I'm not skinny, I'm just normal.

Fun With Dad At The Zoo

Julia not wanting her picture taken - chocolate milk - picture by Julia/fun with facial hair

Two Game Season

A few weeks ago I posted that our season was coming down to the last five games.  Three games have been played and not much has been decided except that the three-horse race for the last Champions League spot has now become a four horse race.

Although Chelsea were beaten by Newcastle in the league, essentially ending their chance at fourth place, they have advanced to this year's Champions League Final. If they win that one game against Bayern Munich on May 19, they will automatically qualify for next year's tournament and take England's fourth spot, allowing only the top three in the standings to qualify.

We are one point and one goal behind third place Arsenal. We need them to either draw or lose one of their final two games for us to pass them.  Obviously, we would also need to win our final two games.  I am not as worried about Newcastle taking fourth from us because their two remaining games are against very tough teams.  They will definitely drop points.

I am most worried about finishing fourth and losing out to Chelsea if they win the Champions League Final. We need to take care of our business, but because of this development as things stand right now, qualification is not completely under our control. We could win out and still not qualify for next year's tournament.  If that happens, we may end up losing some of our bigger players and have to rebuild.

It will probably all come down to the final day next weekend.  All of the games are played at the same time, so the title, Spurs' fate, and the relegation battle may all be determined around ten o'clock in the morning next Sunday. At least it will be entertaining to watch it all unfold.