Heart appts and Warm weather in the forecast

The day has come where Kayden is finally in the clear for weight gain! For those of you who don't know about heart babies, weight gain is the number one indicator to know if things are going well with the patched heart or not. Ever since we left PCMC they have been concerned about his growth and that his heart was still working too hard at doing the normal function of things. The doctors kept asking what are you feeding him, how much, do more.

Kay had a Cardiologist appointment, and after all his routine check up things (weight, height, echo, x ray) Dr. Williams came in and said "he's big and growing like a moose!" Well I loved hearing that since I usually hear, he's too little for his age.

Weight: 17.4

Height: 27"

Echo: Fabulous with a little murmur

X-ray: No lesions in the heart repair.

Dr. Williams said in a future date Kayden will

need something done about his mitral valve and his aortic valve because they are still small and ringed but we are thinking that will happen more along the lines of 5-10 years.

Breaking News

Warm weather is long gone in Rexburg, Idaho but for Dave and I it seems it's just around the corner. Dave got a job with a nation wide company called Hensel Phelps and we will be moving to Phoenix, Arizona in a month. He'll be working on the Sky Harbor Airport and for those of you who don't know Dave, he loves airplanes so this will be a dream for him. He starts the job January 4 which leaves us a very short time to find a house to rent and pack up our things but we'll make it work.

We're sad to leave all our friends we've made over the years we've lived here, but excited for a home to call our own and a job that is stable. Lucky for me Alligiant Air has a straight flight from Phoenix to Rexburg that is pretty cheap so Kayden and I can come visit my parents and all my friends when Dave has to work really late for a week or so. We're extremely grateful for the job and excited for the year round warm weather.

Pay It Forward

The PAY IT FORWARD blog has been updated with the new totals. Eight items have already been filled so be sure to check it out. We're getting so close! Thanks to everyone who has helped!

Kadao

The month of October Kayden really excelled on his crawling skills, he crawls everywhere and at a fast pace! He loves his walker that Grandma Beckstrand is letting him borrow, and as one of our friends says, "He goes off-roading in that thing." He has found a new favorite place to play, Grandma Jones' lid drawer.

For Halloween we didn't do much. We got Kayden dressed up in this dog outfit that my sister let us borrow and he actually loved it! Dave and I were supposed to be Mary Poppins and Burt but our church party was the only party we were going to and Dave turned out last minute he couldn't go. So we bagged the idea, maybe next year :)

Kayden seems to be turning into a true K-9 with drool pooling at his mouth and him biting any toys/shoes/furniture around him while his top two teeth are breaking through his gums. Tomorrow we have another routine Heart Appointment with Dr. Williams, hopefully we'll get some good feedback on his hernia and heart condition, we'll be sure to update you.

Pay Pal

For those of you following the Pay It Forward project, the Pay Pal account is up and running. You can find it on the Sullenger's blog (patrickandashley.blogspot.com) or the new blog that has been set up in behalf of Pay It Forward (Presleespresent.blogspot.com)

We'll let you know when we update it (Presleespresent.blogspot.com) on both of our blogs, but we'll be able to keep you posted with what supplies we need without taking over both our blogs.

Thanks again for your support!

Pay It Forward

We are overjoyed with the support we're receiving for Pay It Forward and amazed to see how many left comments/emails and want to help.

We heard back from PCMC and they are ecstatic about the project and know it will help so many families! Really the only "rule" they are asking is that all things be wrapped /sealed. Keep this in mind with food items. Be sure to get items in a personal size.

Here is the list for one basket/tote. We learned there are actually 44 rooms, so multiply this list by 44 and we'll have what we need :)

1 Box of Granola Bars

2 Trail Mix (Personal Size)

2 Goldfish (Personal Size)

6 Fruit Leather (At Costco you can get a box with 48 individual leathers for under $10)

Breathmints/Gum

Small Eye Drops (Visine)

3 Pens & Journal

Fleece Blanket for the parents (47" x 57" OR 42" x 52"- Try and go for the bigger one :) )

2 Pairs of Socks (preferably with grips on the bottom)

2 Toothbrushes

Toothpaste

Chapstick

Small lotion (non-scented if possible)

Playing Cards

Disposable Camera

*With all the comments/emails the Sullenger's and Dave and I are receiving, we are coming pretty close to having all the fleece blankets accounted for (we're holding you accountable :)). So it would be wonderful if you could focus on other items, however if you have your heart set on making a blanket or have already started making it (or bought fabric), we will always welcome it and be sure to use them!

We're in the process of setting up a Paypal account,we're hoping to have it up and running in the next few days.

All donations or packages can be sent to:

Chelsea Beckstrand

1198 Pleasant View

Rexburg, ID 83440

Remember the list is only one basket. Whether you feel you can donate a box of fruit leather, chapstick, or your time by helping us in any way, it will all be greatly appreciated.

As of right now, we'll be compiling the baskets Friday December 17, 2010 at Madison Middle School in Rexburg, Idaho. We haven't designated a time yet, but we hope to soon. Madison Middle School has been kind enough to jump at the offer and we felt it was a great way to let students serve. A big thanks to MMS!

Any questions? Leave a comment or email me at cnbeckstrand@gmail.com

Again thank you for the support. Our goal for this project is to lessen the burden on the families who go into PCMC PICU and because of the help from everyone we're going to be able to achieve it.

Love,
The Beckstrand's & Sullenger's

Pay It Forward

In January it will be one year of when Kayden had his heart surgery down at Primary Children's. I remember a couple of hours before he was scheduled to go in to surgery, the surgeon was going over all the risks of this surgery and that we would be updated every hour of how the procedure was going. As Kayden was wheeled off I didn't know where to turn, my baby was being wheeled into a room where I couldn't see him, help him, or even know if he would be back with us again on this earth. As Dave and I walked down the long hallway alone we just held on to each other and cried.

We sat in a room and waited and waited and waited (something you do a lot in the PICU). There was no way we were leaving the room to get or do anything. Luckily some friends of ours, the Bitter's, gave us a basket of some things we might have needed as we stayed in the hospital. It was so helpful as it had so many things in it to help us not have to leave the hospital. Dave and I knew at that point we wanted to do something in one year as a reminder to always PAY IT FORWARD and give to others as we were helped numerous times in Primary Children's from so many family and friends.


Many people end up in PCMC with no warning, no time to grab things they need, they just go. Recently this happened to my friend Ashley Sullenger as she lost her little girl Preslee. (http://patrickandashley.blogspot.com/) With Preslee's birthday coming up in December she wanted to do something to give back on her birthday, Pay It Forward. We decided to combine our thoughts and create Preslee's Present.


I've been in contact with PCMC and they have 42 beds in the PICU. Our goal is to have a basket full of "the essentials for living in the PICU" for every single one of them. I think we can do it, but we'll need some help. As of right now were waiting to hear back from PCMC, with what items are allowed to be placed in the baskets. Once we find out we'll let you know a list of things. We'll need help with donations, items like granola bars, chap stick, or fleece blankets. We'll also need help putting them together.


So I now ask you, have you ever been helped while in need, or touched by someone? If you have, Pay It Forward. Think how different the world would be if everyone served just one person. Be part of something and serve to give. Hopefully we'll see many of you on that day making a difference.


Love, The Beckstrand's and Sullenger's

1 step... 2 step

Kayden is really into being BIG this week. He loves to hold onto the couch or toys and pulling himself to his feet. Sadly I didn't get a video or any pictures of it but it's pretty fun to watch. He eats lots of different finger foods and pretty sure his favorite are graham crackers and banana's.

He can do the "all done" sign which is really just kinda putting his arms in the air and moving his arms and body, but I know what he means :) He also knows "drink". He takes one of his hands and squeezes it over and over again. I got that one on video but it's on my phone so we'll see what I can do.

This big guys cheeks only get bigger while his body really stays the same size. He's a compact little thing but definetly getting heavier. I think he's up to 16 pounds now!

He loves to play in his crib when it's time to go to bed but we still are on a pretty strict bed time routine. Sometimes he gets his ways and stays up a little bit later but that usually brings a horrible night! He also LOVES playing with his daddy when he gets home from school and work. Dave is determined to talk to him in Portuguese and teach him how, well see in a couple years how it goes :)

The Life of Kay

Kayden thinks that he is already big. He decided he can crawl, sit up after crawling, baby talk all the time, and his latest... He thinks he's ready to walk. Oh dear!

I walked into his room to find him getting to his knees, pulling himself up by the bars

of his crib to try and walk over to the other end of the crib (which really was quite hilarious to watch because it really was a try and walk and reach REALLY far) and grab his mobile which was hanging over his bed. Well needless to say that is gone, the monitor is in a different place and soon the mattress will be dropped lower.

Kay is 8 months old and be

lieves he HAS to have everything his way... which really means make my bottle faster mom... hold me now mom... I'm not tired right now... I don't want my nose suctioned (but really who does)... and that's about it. Other than that he's an easy baby. He LOVES to play with his toys, crawls around to find new things he can get into (trash, magazines, dishes), loves watching Handy Manny and Secret Agent OSO (his all time favorite) and makes friends where ever we go. He seems to smitten everyone but his "passionate" side (my sister n law says this and I love it) comes out at home.

We love this big guy and are excited to see him grow and see how far he has come since his heart surgery.

Upon Request... Huckleberries!

Labor Day was a bit of bummer this year because we were supposed to go to Island Park with Dave's sisters but since Dave is getting over shingles (grown-up chicken pox, but a LOT more painful) we are exiled from all gatherings. So i had the brilliant idea of going huckleberry picking!! I made a few phone calls to my sister and her husband to find out where to go and to see if there would still be some out on the bushes.

After a drive up to Kelly Canyon and past the "certain spot" where they stop, we didn't see ANYTHING! So we kept driving a bit farther up the canyon, pulled off, then ventured into "the forest". When we got out of the car Dave says, "Um so I just came up here to humor you, I have NO idea what huckleberries look like, what kind of bush or tree they are on, or where to even look" well that made two of us. I made another call to my

sister who said they look just like blueberries but smaller and are on bushes like really low.

So onward we went. After we hiked on no trails for awhile, we started seeing some berries.. hurray!! We searched everywhere high and low (since we were late in the season the bushes must have grown taller into some kind of tree because there were a ton on tree looking things) because there were all kind of different berries (red, blue, white, large, small) so when we came upon a bunch we would squeeze one of them to make sure they were filled with the same "stuff" as our other huckleberries. Finally we look at our phones realizing it had already been about 2 and 1/2 hours so we started to head back. On our way back we made a couple stops one being our Bishop's garden. (A bishop leads a congregation) We were so proud of all the berries we picked so we pulled out our bucket to show him. When he looks in he says, "Oh those aren't huckleberries" we look at each other and ask ok what are they then? He says No idea.

We continue our drive home bummed that our berries aren't huckleberries but still pretty happy we collected so many AND they still tasted sweet. When we got home we immediately went upstairs to check out really just what kind of berries we got. We found the bush/tree leaves that the berries were on and the computer said we got some kind of berry called Deer-berry which said... "WARNING: poisonous". LOVELY Once we read

that we watched all our hard work go down the trash...

As we were searching for ticks we decided that for sure next time we will be going with people who KNOW what huckleberries look like and have been picking before.

PS... When we would squeeze the berries to see what came out it kind of looked like blueberry guts with some white stuff inside of it... Dave calls it cream which justifies EVERYTHING!

Family Pictures

This past week we were in California for me to go to court for the lawsuit I've been in for like 4 years now and it finally settled, Yay! So we stayed with my sister and while we were there I asked her to take our family picture and some of Kayden. It worked out perfectly because I didn't have to pay anything and it was no set time. Thanks Callie for letting us stay there, feeding us, watching Kayden, taking our pictures for us, and being an awesome sister!

6 Months and New milestones

Our little bear is 6 1/2 months old. He got this nickname because of the way he rolls on his back holding his feet with his hands. He rolls up just like a baby bear and he looks so cute but beware, just like a baby bear looks cute and cuddly they can have a strong temper, well Kay does too.

He got his first tooth... Yahoo! After months and months of waiting for this darn tooth to come through, it finally stopped being stubborn and just came.

I went to the store (D.I.) and bought him 2 new toys the other day because he can sit up on his own now and needs a few fun things. I bought him this baby keyboard (you can sort of see it in this picture) and a v-tech infant shapes and colors toy.

Since I haven't updated about our Primary Children's visit yet, sorry, here it is...

When we went they sedated him and did an echo on his heart. The nurse wanted to do an IV for sedation but we just have not had very good experiences with IV's there so I forced the nurse to give him the stuff orally ( she didn't like me too much after that ). Once he woke up we got the results, which were positive! They ruled out surgery on the repair of the co-arch however they are still monitoring other possible complication. Right now they're monitoring a hernia that is right at the end of his scar. So, we'll wait it out and continue monitoring his weight and growth.

Moments...

This was around 5:00 PM, he goes to sleep at 6 so I told Dave to do whatever he could to keep him awake til then. It was about 5:30 when Dave said okay I don't think I can keep him up any longer...

Kayden has really started up his personality these last few months... A friend told me to take more video's so I thought this was one of the those moments I wanted to always remember.

A reminder of the important things

This past week I have been reminded by a little angel of what this life is really all about- The gospel, family, and friends. Little Preslee Sullenger passed to the other side to Our Father in Heaven this past weekend but before she passed in just 1 week span she brought many miracles to pass, one miracle being a heavy reminder for me to never let one day pass without being truly grateful for the gospel and the joy and peace it brings me in trying times, my family and knowing I will be with them not only in this life but the life here after as well, and for my friends who really are more like extended family and always are there supporting me.

Because of the Sullenger Family and their example

I now wake up in the middle of the night with a little more patience when Kayden doesn't want to sleep

I look closer and deeper into his eyes loving every moment he gives me in a day.

I realized I get more accomplished in the day playing with him then doing dishes, cleaning up, doing laundry and making sure my house is spotless because he is much more important then my house being absolutely clean

I laugh and enjoy all the hilarious moments my husband creates even when it's 11:30 pm and I am exhausted.

I want to try and create more times for us as a family to play together

And most of all a Strong reminder that Families Can Be Together Forever.

Little Preslee is in need of your prayers

Little Preslee is in need of your prayers. This little angel fell into a canal Friday July 9 and was found 2 miles by a farmer who performed CPR immediately. She was airlifted to Primary Children's where she is being taken care of by great doctors and by wonderful parents, but she in need of your prayers. Please join in with thousands of others for asking for a miracle to occur with this amazing fighter. A blog has been set up for an online place to make donations for this young family to help with the bills that they will encounter. helpsullengers.blogspot.com It's extremely easy and there are updates posted of Pres and the family.

We love the Sullenger family and continue on with the prayers in their behalf.

Big, Bigger, Biggest

Kayden has grown up so fast! He has hit a few mile stones in the past two months: Being 5 months, he now weighs about 13 lbs 7oz and about 26 inches!

4 Months

He ate rice cereal for the first time May 19 then about two weeks later started on solids. The

first solid was peaches and he didn't really like them but now has really come to love them.

He laughed for the first time, like a real laugh and is extremely ticklish on his hips, side of his tummy, and near his armpits.

He rolled over for the first time May 1 but I couldn't ever get it on camera until a month later.

He has been teething for way too long. His doctor has been telling us for the past month and a half "any week."

He has been struggling to stay asleep after I put him down which is usually around 6-7 pm

So we have found the trick of walking on the treadmill like this. After a couple of min. usually about "1 time around a track" he is out.

His throwing up problem has FINALLY been addressed by his new Doctor, Dr. Jones, who we love. He measured his stomach and it was only a 3 oz stomach which is why he could't ever keep anything down. He told us to hold back on the milk to just 3-4 oz every 2-3 hours, switch to the spit up formula (enfamil), and continue on with his prevacid.

5 Months

Kay has the most contagious laugh as well as a contagious scream. He's for the most part a happy boy but knows what he wants and wants it right then. We're working on that : )

He Loves books and loves walks in his stroller-sitting up, not laying down

We bought him a Bumbo seat and he seems to really enjoy it

He hates putting on and wearing clothes, if it were his choice he would be in a diaper all day

He can almost roll from his back to his stomach and loves any kind of food

Toys and people are the highlight of this little boys life- put them together and life can't get any better!

Kayden Rolling Over

Laughing out Loud