Fun and Games!

School has officially arrived at the Young household. Lovely indeed! I have three children ranging in age from 15 to 1 and I have NEVER been off and at home while my children went to school. It is soooo strange! I am supposed to be studying for my test but that has only happened one day so far. Today I did some school shopping for some last-minute stuff. And, let me just tell you, if I were single I would SOOOO use Bryson to pick up men. Just kidding! But really, he warrants so much attention from men all commenting on "how cute he is". They are all older men who probably have grandkids his age but I told my mom, she needs to use him to her advantage! LOL! Anyway, here are some pics of the first day of school!

Kory looks pumped, right? He is officially sick of me asking him 100 questions about high school. Oh well, ask me if I care!?!?!? Oh, and here is what he is begging me to do EVERY SINGLE DAY!

He got his first car and my goodness we CANNOT spend enough time in it! If I hear, "can we take my Blazer?" one more time, I may throw up! Won't be long and he will be forging ahead on his own. So scary! Have I mentioned that I had to get him a debit card???? Now that he is in high school and on his own I feel like he needs it. He needs to learn to take care of a checking account anyway. Funny thing is he has his "own" cash that he made at his job this summer but INSTEAD he is using the debit card because, "mom, I would rather use your money than my own!" SHOCKING, right? It won't be the last time I hear that one!
Here is Riley and his buddy on the first day!

Notice how Riley's friend looks like an Abecrombie and Fitch model and then.....there is MY kid. All he is missing is a cheeto in his hand and an xbox controller. LOL! If my kids were Barbie's (I guess I should say Kens) Kory would be "teenage angst Ken", complete with all black clothing, a Blazer that says "bad ass" on the back, greasy hair and his own guitar and IPOD and Riley would be "redneck in training Ken" complete with more AC/DC shirts than you could shake a stick at, enough camo shorts for an army and a continuous trail of dirt following him like "pigpen" from Charlie Brown....oh and an xbox controller and cheetos. Gotta love em!!!!
Here is Bryson on the first day of school!

Man, all this school stuff is tiring that boy OUT! Since the boys have been at school Bryson is giving me a RUN for my money....driving me crazy! He has definetly hit the terrible twos. He is picky on his eating, his sleeping, his bathroom habits. Well, not really...he doesn't have any bathroom habits....I think I was talking about Mark there for a minute. Anyway, he is driving me nuts. He makes one mess after the other, after the other, after the other.....You get the point! He wants to eat watermelon and pineapple all day and he knows how to get in the fridge and drag them out and dump them. It has been a LONG time since I had a two year old and I am much older now so it is kicking my butt! Here he is training for more mischief!

Well, I am done running my mouth so I wanted to end this post with a really funny sign I saw at the DPS. I had to take a pic! ENJOY!

Every Heart Has a Story-Here is Bryson's!

This time two years ago I was pregnant...HUGE pregnant with my third child, who just so happened to be a BIG surprise (thank you antibiotics! no really, THANK YOU!). This time around was pretty tough. We were honestly still reeling from our "surprise" and wondering how we were going to do it all. I was working full time and taking care of the two other kids. I had gestational diabetes and then my amniotic fluid starting to go down drastically. I was teetering on the edge of having to be delivered and "waiting it out". I ended up spending nine days in antepartum and then I was finally told I would be delivered. I was so excited. He was going to be three weeks early but there was no reason to think he wouldn't be fine. I had to have a c-section (first one) and I was able to pick my music selection.

It is always nice to smell your own flesh being burnt while you hear "I want it all! I want it all! and I want it now!" Pretty funny!
It took an eternity for Bryson to "show up". I saw him for a split second and Mark saw him for a just a few more seconds. I remember he kind of "sqwaked" like a bird. He didn't sound like a baby when he cried, but a bird. They said he needed a little help since he was a little early and took him out of the room.
This is his very first breath!

This is one of the few pictures we have of him right after birth. We did not know he had a birth mark right under his nose until 4 months later because he was intubated and had tape covering it. When we first saw it we thought it was from the tape. We went back and looked at this picture and realized it was a birthmark!

I was wheeled to recovery and Mark went and shared the good news and came back to sit with me. An hour or so had gone by and we decided to call and check on the baby and see why he wasn't back. I remember like it was yesterday, the look on Mark's face. He went white, his face dropped, it was horrific. He got off the phone and said, "his heart is messed up, they are life-flighting him to Dallas!" THAT, is how we found out....over the phone and then no one, no one came until we went looking for them. A cardiologist came in and drew a picture and I swear to you. I don't remember a WORD he said. I can see the scene in my head and even smell the smells but I don't remember anything he said. Mark had the terrible burden to go and share the news with all of our family and friends. They wanted me to see my baby before he left and so they wheeled me in the NICU and I remember it was so crowded and noisy and there in the center was this beautiful, beautiful baby.....it was Bryson. He looked like a doll, sitting in a display case. He was covered in tubes and wires but I really don't think I saw them. I touched him and I remember that it seemed like no one knew I was there and that I wasn't supposed to be there. I had blood dripping down my leg onto the floor but I didn't care. I had to see him. These people came in dressed in these crazy flight suits. They had this huge contraption and all this equipment. There must have been 4 or so of them and I remember so clearly thinking, "I wonder who they are here for! I am glad it isn't my baby! That must be so scary!" And then I realized, they were there for my baby. I don't remember much of them getting him ready but it took a really long time, or so it seemed and then I was asked to go out in the hallway and wait for them to bring him out to see the kids and my family. They finally pushed him out of the NICU with a train of equipment and I remember Riley and Kory peering down into his incubator for maybe ten seconds and then they were gone. Mark ran down the hall with them as he was going and I was staying. My kids wouldn't see their baby brother again until October.
I managed to talk the doctor into letting me go the very next day. I cannot tell you how hard it was to leave that hospital without a baby, not even one to come back and visit. I wanted to go by my house on the way out and say goodbye to my kids but my mom wouldn't let me because she knew I would be too upset.
Mark let me know that they did the balloon stent procedure on Bryson and that he might lose his thumb because he wasn't getting blood flow to it. I asked him how we would survive this and he said to me, "It is time to pull out our Faith!"
I showed up at Children's to meet Mark and the team of doctors and nurses and to say it was overwhelming is an understatement.



I missed my other kids so much already....I had already been stuck in Antepartum for nine days before that. I remember crying so much those first few days that I made myself sick. I have never been so mentally and physically exhausted in my entire life. All I wanted to do was rush through Bryson's surgery, get him well and get home. Boy did I have a lot to learn! We finally found out Bryson had transposition of the great arteries, coarctation of the aorta and a VSD and ASD. Bryson came in to Children's Dallas in "profound shock". He was one of the sickest kids on the floor. Our local hospital was not set up to take care of a child that sick. No one could tell us when he would get surgery. All they ever said was, "he will tell us when he is ready!" It drove me insane! We spent our days and nights watching Bryson sleep (he was in a induced coma so he could heal) and stroking his hand and hair and talking to him. We didn't see his eyes for a full week I don't think. Finally, about a week after he was brought in they said he looked so good that they might do surgery that day. They were going to try to extubate him. Next thing you know, he is SUPER SICK and surgery isn't even in the foreseeable future. He was just too sick now! He never got better and at 14 days old they decided he HAD to have surgery, sick or not. Surgery was so stressful but he pulled through. They had told us that they would be leaving his chest open to make more room for his heart until it had healed, and also in case he had any problems they could fix him. The first time we saw him after surgery I asked that he be covered from the neck down. I didn't think I could handle it. He looked bad but it wasn't too bad. They said the next 24-48 hours would be crucial. Within hours he was bleeding like crazy and they couldn't keep blood in him. I remember so clearly seeing him and he had blood dripping off of his bed onto the floor and the nurse had on gloves and had blood all over her and it was speckled all over Bryson and his face. It was the most awful thing I had ever seen. It was touch and go all night with him. We prayed like we had never prayed before. The next morning they had to go back into his chest bedside and fix something that had torn. They cleaned him up and we went to see him. They had forgotten to cover him up and I saw his open chest. It was shocking and surreal....nothing can prepare you for that. He stayed like that for seven days before they could close him. At one point they took off the paralytic and let him wake up and he had his eyes open with the open chest. It was shocking to say the least.

Bryson gradually got better and we thought we were on our way home anytime! Talk about a roller coaster ride. After he got his chest closed one doctor said, "you will be on the 8th floor in a few days!" October was spent on a ventilator with major fluid problems and riding the withdrawal roller coaster. Then we found out near Halloween that he had chylous and would have to stay "at least" 6 more weeks to clear that up. November was spent with my baby having a pd cath drain and 4 chest tubes to drain the fluid out of his body. He had third spacing, chylous, respiratory failure, leaky capillary syndrome, he literally had a different sickness or infection every week. At one point he had 10 extra pounds of fluid on him and he leaked 1000 cc's worth of fluid out of his body overnight. He was literally like a water hose. Whatever they put in, he leaked out. He was so sick! We were all so spent, so tired, our Faith wavered. We were told he would not make it and there were meetings to discuss if we should let him go or continue to make him suffer. There were questions and decisions that I NEVER thought I would have to face, NEVER! Having a sick baby can bring a family so close but it SURE can tear it apart too.
We got a new doctor, Dr. Koch, and he said, "let me try one more thing, let's give it some more time!"
In December Bryson was extubated for the first time. Oh, the joy! I cannot tell you how great that felt. Then he got sick again and had to intubated. He got better again, and then he got RSV. He was "scheduled" to move to the 8th floor (the one before you go home) about a half dozen times. Did I mention that our home is SIX HOURS away from Children's! The stress was insurmountable. And finally on January 25th he got moved to the 8th floor! Our time on the 8th floor was short-lived as we headed home on February 5th. I remember calling Mark (who is six hours away) and saying, "come pick us up, they are letting us go home!" He was soooooo shocked!
We came home to a feeding tube that we kept for 6 more months, and Bryson was VERY addicted to pain meds. He came home on methadone and valium and about 10 other meds. Today he is on NOTHING! NOTHING! He is beautiful and perfect and healthy and funny. He will be two in about a month and he is truly my miracle. He changed me and my family and friends in ways we never imagined. I think of what he went through every, single day. No one would believe he went through all that if it weren't for the 12 scars. This is what he looks like now!

I know he would not be here today if it weren't for the many, many prayers of our friends and family! I thank them everyday, and I thank God everyday for my sweet miracle.
Before I go (I know it was long, I'm sorry!) I wanted to share some of my memorabilia from the hospital. Even though it was a terrible time. It was amazing and wonderful too. I met some of the most wonderful people I have ever met there. It has been and is still hard to not want to go back there. I know that sounds silly but it was our life for so long and the parents, doctors, nurses and staff there meant so much to us that it is hard to let go.

This is parts from his mobile at the hospital. That mobile meant so much to him. It was all he saw for many months. It was so soothing to him. We even went back a year later and bought mobile for baby's there who didn't have one. Also pictured is the tape recorder that we recorded mine and his brother Riley's voice on when we couldn't be there....so that he could always hear us.

These are the signs that were posted on Bryson's bed for all those months.

These are the name tags we all had to have to get in the CICU to see Bryson. They were and are so important because they represent so much to us.

This is the heart Bryson got after his surgery. Some of the staff signed it. Riley signed it like fifty times. It says some pretty cute stuff on it!

This is one of the keys to our room at Hawthorne where we stayed while Bryson was in the hospital. That place was very special as well and so was the staff there. The kids stayed there with us too. Lots of memories there.

Aunt Rita made this for Bryson. I think it was very "fitting"
In case I didn't mention we had soooooo much support in the way of not only prayers but food and clothes for Bryson and things for us and money from people. I have NEVER felt more loved or supported!

Bryson's sign the nurses made for his bed. I remember I didn't want them to make him a sign because then he meant he was "staying". He stayed all right!!!!

A picture out of the page of the book they gave us when we got there, explaining Bryson's defects. Mark had taken notes.

These are his bands from the hospital when he was born. I can't find the band from Children's but I remember it was kind of funny because it had a bar code and everytime they gave him meds or did something they ran the holder over it and it beeped like we were at the grocery store. I guess that explains our 7 million dollar bill!!!!! Oh and the seashell is the one they used to baptist Bryson the day of his surgery.

We all had our badges and on a particulary bad day a boy who had been at Children's before handed out bags of chips in the waiting room and taped to all the bags of chips were scriptures. I got this one and this scripture carried me through the worst of times. That sweet boy who had been there before me had no idea what he did for me!

This was a piece of paper with informaiton for burial that I carried around in my purse for months.....not knowing if I would ever need it. Someone special gave it to me so that I would not have to worry about finding information if that time came. I am happy to say I never needed that piece of paper but it signifies everything that Bryson went through, everything we went through. It was terrible and horrible and frightening but it has made us all better people. Since those dark days...the sun shines brighter, the air smells fresher, my kids laughter is louder.....I am forever changed!
Oh and on a side note, Bryson hasn't received them yet but he is due to be "awarded" over 700 beads of courage. That is one courageous kid if you ask me!!!! :)


I wrote this to share my story with others for a blog event called "Every Heart has a Story" Check out the event and read other inspiring stories at
http://whenlifehandsyouabrokenheart.blogspot.com/

Cowboy Bob

Everytime I think I have it all figured out.....it changes again. Sooooooo....I was supposed to substitute teach and then continue to take my teaching tests and hope to be a "full-fledged" teacher sometime this next school year. Well now I got a great offer for a job working downtown with the AVID program and the counselors. I am soooo excited! I LOVE AVID and truly this job is so much more in my comfort zone than teaching. Teaching hasn't been thrown out the window entirely but for now it is on the back-burner. Ever since I got this new job I have just felt so much better. I feel like the pressure is off and I feel like I have so much to look forward to. I know I am going to LOVE this job. And, the funny thing is I don't start until September 1st. I thought it was crazy I had a month off before...well now that month turned into more like 6 weeks. It is so strange to be off. I don't know what to do with myself but I am really enjoying spending time with the kids. Tomorrow we are going to the library so that should be fun. I think Bryson really enjoys me being home. When my mom comes over he eyes her like "my mom is NOT leaving me with you, she is staying here with me forever!" He loves my mom so much but he is a mama's boy all the way. Oh, and there is one more person he loves just as much as me......Kory. It is hilarious. He WILL NOT leave Kory alone. He screams for him to pick him up and play with him and he beats on his bedroom door. It is driving Kory NUTS! Good birth control if you ask me! Riley starts football practice soon too so that will keep us busy and school starts August 22nd so THAT will really keep us busy. I am excited! I love the Fall. I am soooooo ready for football games and crisp, cool weather...great holidays coming up. I love all of it! For the first time in a very long time I feel really good. These past two years have been really rough....Bryson's stuff would be enough to deal with, but then I lose my job and then the school and test dissapointment and not knowing what I was going to do. Not to mention that we moved into a new house in January and I lost my job on March 1st. I mean SERIOUSLY!?!?!? But I know I am sooo truly blessed with so many things but it is nice when it all comes together sometimes. We will see how long that lasts, right? Haa,haa! Oh well, that is what prayer is for! :)
Oh and just so you know here is a list of Bryson's nicknames. I have to share them because it is so funny because he has SO MANY and let me tell you that we call him by these different names literally every day. I would not be surprised if the kid did not know his real name but the good thing is....he answers to anything.
Bryson
B
Beeson (I know it sounds silly but I started it and honestly me and Mark and my mom call him this all the time! LOL)
B Money
Mr. B
B dog
little man
Cowboy Bob
stinky
B man
I think that is all for now. He picked up Cowboy Bob today because he likes to wear this cheesy cowboy hat that used to belong to the boys and he wears it all over the house. It is so funny! And also, today I took him to the church nursery at a new church for the first time and he ran in all excited to play with the toys and I was so surprised. He seemed like he was going to do great. Then I come back and the lady in the nursery says immediately, "he cried the whole time!" OOPS! I felt so bad for him. I had no idea. Then I turn to him and say, "Beeson, why did you cry the whole time?" and he turns and points to this sweet, little girl.....as if it was all her fault. So cute! As soon as we walked out of the room he yelled, "BYE!" like nothing ever happened. He is so funny!

July!

Well I am officially done with school and at home for a MONTH. Crazy, right? I have never been off for four weeks consecutively unless I was at a hospital with my son. I am not sure what to do with myself. I am, of course, planning to get everything I need done in the first few days. That is just me. One thing I AM NOT is a procrastinator. I can't stand things "hanging over my head". I have registered Riley for school and football, signed myself up for my subbing and next is Kory's registration. Tonight we are going to the circus so I hope to have some good pictures that I can post. Life has been chaotic but FUN chaotic. I love it! I had lunch with Riley and Bryson yesterday and I have some great video of Bryson eating. I will try to put them on here, so funny! Mark and Kory were working, which they remind me of everyday. They LOVE to point out that "they" have jobs and I don't. They think they are so cute!!:)
Riley is doing great. Just being super helpful around the house and with the baby. He is going to be such a great dad! He is ready for football and school. He met his teacher today and was really excited and football starts really early this year so he will get to meet all of his new friends before school starts. He cracks me up reading the calories and fat and protein on EVERYTHING he eats or drinks. Not that he doesn't eat it because of that, but he is "checking" it out. When we signed him up for football they have all the boys weights listed and he weighs TWICE what all the other boys weigh. He has bigger feet than me, and he is TEN. This kid is going to be HUGE!
Kory is great too. He has been working all summer and making some good money (and spending it too!) But, really, he has been giving me money out of each check to put in savings and I didn't even ask. He even asked me if he could go ahead and set up a 401K. He is so funny! He has his entire life planned out. He is a planner, just like his mom. He works on his music all the time and stays busy just doing his own thing.
Bryson.....Bryson is a tiny, baby turd! That kid! He is sooooooo busy! He is turning two for sure! He throws fits all the time and throws things. I remember at the hospital I told the nurses I would NEVER spank him. He sure needs a spanking! LOL! He is so funny and he plays with his toys like nobody's business. He is starting to talk a lot and he lets you know what he wants. He is a HEFTY eater. He thinks that our kitchen is open 24/7 for his benefit and he can reach many of the drawers and cabinets and he can open the fridge too. Yesterday he got out the food coloring and got red food coloring all over the floor (thank goodness it was wood, fake wood) and then he said, "oh no, oh no!" I need all of our family members here to help me keep up with him!!!! He will be two in about two months. It is hard to believe! NO medical problems whatsoever except some allergies. It's crazy! Well, he is in the cookie decorating drawer and pouring and licking sprinkles off of the floor (seriously, he is!) So, I gotta go!!!

Changes!

Well summer has changed somewhat but I don't know if you call it "for the better" or not. In some ways it is.
I realize after much reflecting that I have GOT to stop measuring myself by my work. I have worked since I was 16 years old and I had the same job for almost 20 and I had a lot of seniority there and felt very secure and worthy. I hate to say I judged myself by my performance at work, sometimes solely on that. I realize now that I don't have to be that person. I drive myself crazy about these things, no one else. No one is saying I have to be the smartest or most driven person out there, except me. I am in the middle of raising three AMAZING kids and that needs to be what is most important right now. The rest can simply wait! God sure is putting a lot of questions and challenges on me right now, it seems he has been for the past two years. I am trying to listen but sometimes it is hard....as we all know. SOOOOO after this next Friday I am off for a WHOLE MONTH. No school, no work, no nothing. That is except for school registrations, football registrations, driving tests, and all that fun stuff. But that I can handle. In the midst of it all I plan on doing some fun road trips and such too. I'm thinking Oklahoma and Houston, the beach, who knows!?!?!? Either way I am going to let go, and give it to God and live for my kids, my husband, my family!!! It's time! Love you all and I hope to be blogging a lot more and have some super great pics! :)
Who knows, maybe I can go back to "funny" posts with colorful stories and such. I need some laughter!

This isn't the summer I signed up for!!!

So sorry for the lack up updates but I am in the thick of school right now and it is kicking my booty! Not to mention all the other stuff going on. I guess I just assumed LIFE would be nice and quiet for me while I went to school. Well, not so much! Bryson got a virus and a throat infection together and landed himself in the hospital for 24 hours. IT SUCKED! He is officially not a good patient. I told him that we were both lucky he had his long hospital stay at the beginning of his life versus now! He told me that if I would just supply him with the same meds as before he would be fine! LOL! Oh and after the 24 hour hospital stay he was STILL sick and got a shot in the leg for the third time. Well, that one turned out to be a doosey and he didn't sleep for a week straight because of the pain in his leg. It turned black and blue and had a huge knot. NIGHTMARE! Then I got food poisoning. I swear, I feel like both Bryson and I get sick all the time. I never used to get sick. I really think it is stress.
Anyway, I took my big test but I don't have the results back yet but I should know soon and I will be sure and update the blog and let you know. And....Riley is at John and Linda's for a few weeks visiting with his cousin. He is having so much fun swimming and riding around in the golf cart. I miss him though!
As far as the rest, I'm just hoping for school to hurry up and end, for me to pass my test and for us to all stay well for a while!!!! This chick needs a break man!!!!
Hope everyone is well! Miss ya and love ya!

Summer, sweet, summer!

Been so very busy! Let's see.......well, school is basically over. Riley is out and has attended his last year of private school (I hope anyway) and he is enjoying his summer. Yesterday he never even got out of his pajamas! B loves having him home to play with. Today is Kory's LAST DAY OF JUNIOR HIGH! He is a high schooler! Honestly, on paper, he was a high schooler last year but our schools run a little different than others but now he is a 10th grader! I can't believe it! The kid wears nothing but black, 24/7, all day long. Today they were allowed a free dress day (no uniforms) and I drive up and everyone is all dressed up trendy and fancy and then there is Kory, head to toe black. He says those kids are "dressed for success", I said, "what are you dressed for? death???" Geez! I did the same thing when I was a teenager but it is just funny!
I have tons of pictures to post. Riley had an end of year school party that was beyond anything I have ever seen (private school for you!LOL) They had jumpers and water slides and a pond for fishing, farm animals, endless food....MAN! Bryson went too but he got really hot and tired and my mom took him home. I do have to say that there are sometimes "indicators" that his heart is a little different. He can't take the heat, it just wears him out and he stays hotter than most. They said because of his heart he would but he would grow out of it. Also, when he is cold, he "models" or looks splotchy on his arms and legs. I know it is no biggie in the grand scheme of things but I wish we had NO reminders of heart issues except for the scars. Anyway, he enjoyed the party and ran around like a wild animal and he WAS NOT scared of the horses, or donkeys or the 500 lb pig! He IS VERY SCARED of the monkey toy in Toy Story 3 that claps the cymbals together. I hate to say it but it is sooo funny to watch him FREAK OUT about it. I love that kid!
Then we went out of town to see my nephew play in a alumni game in the Texas Cowboys Stadium. We were able to take a tour and be on the field. It was cool! We were there for like 4 or 5 hours and Bryson did so well! We went to Legoland and that was fun and Riley made out like a bandit. He spent all of his birthday money there. We shopped some and ate out and just had fun. It was a good time! The kids are all so great and so ready for summer. Even though I have school they have some stuff planned. I am going to pay Riley to clean the house (he is good at it!) and his friends call him all the time to come and swim and play. We are trying to find Kory a job, no luck yet, he is just too young. And Bryson, well, Bryson is just being crazy and funny and silly.
On a side note, please keep my grandmother in your prayers. She is very sick and her prognosis is not good. She will be 90 in a matter of weeks and we all hope she can at least make it to that day, and beyond if it be God's will. She has had a SUPER GOOD life though and so that is good!
Oh, and my brother and his wife are flying to Korea to pick up his newest addition, his name is Yu-Ben (I know I probably spelled that wrong). He is a little younger than Bryson and makes number two for my brother and his family. So much fun! I can't wait to meet him. I will post some pictures of him when they send them!
I hope to keep up the blog as much as possible but as you can see it is going to be a crazy summer! But a good summer I hope, no.....I know it will be!!!!! :)

will post pictures later! Blog won't take them!