Goodbye 2009

2009 has been a CRAZY year for us. Don't know where to begin or where to end, so we thought we would make a video of 2009. It's about 11 minutes long so if you got time, enjoy.

Our Little Superman

Sunday:

Yesterday:

....and 10 minutes ago:

Medicine? Antibiotic? Infection? Bacteria?
Not really sure what is going on.
But I want to pull my hair out.
And I wish someone could cut my baby some slack here!


update (4:49 pm): Doc called: "Stop the antibiotic!"
I could not be happier.
Dylan will feel better.
I just know it.

Christmas 2009 (long post...sorry)

Last Thursday Dylan was admitted to the hospital (remember that post?)
And he stayed there until Saturday afternoon.
Ever wonder what a parent does with their 19 month old baby in the confines of a hospital room?

Here you go:

We played throw Hairy the ball over the crib

Say, "cheese" a bazillion times for Mom.

Smashy face on the plastic that encloses the cage, aka crib, aka my kid won't sleep in a hospital crib. It's lovely.

peek-a-boo

Gnaw on plastic enclosure, aka get me outta here! (not the crib, just the hospital in general)

He didn't have to stay in the "cage" he just really liked playing in there. Playing. Not sleeping. He slept here with his Mom or Dad, whoever happened to be there for the night:

Sorry Paul. I needed a picture of the 5 star hotel beds they provide the parents! haha

So comfy!

That was last week. My heart ached a little because I wasn't sure when Dylan was really going to be coming home. I prayed it would be before Christmas. He didn't act sick. Ok, Tuesday he was sick but Thursday, Friday and Saturday, while in the hospital...he was NOT sick. His blood said otherwise.

My prayer was answered. He came home a week before Christmas. On an antibiotic that we have to give him every 6 hours, through his port....for two weeks. Yes I set my alarm clock for 12:30 am and 6:30 am. I set my mental alarm for 12:30 pm and 6:30 pm. I am not complaining. I had my whole family home for Christmas. Both little boys.

Last night we kept everything very low key. Connor knew Santa was coming but that was it. We did open Christmas jammies.We did NOT leave cookies for Santa...Connor was already bouncing off the walls. Leaving cookies for Santa would only add to the excitement and, well, I wanted him to go to bed. Santa was not sad, trust me! He found the Oreos stashed in the cupboard.

This morning Paul and I were up at 7:00 waiting for Dylan's medicine to finish and for Connor to wake up. We heard his little feet pitter-patter down the hall and we knew it was time for presents. He was so excited for his Bat cave and cars. Dylan opened like 3 presents and then he was bored. haha oh well! It was so fun.

I thought it was going to be a gloomy boring day without having any extended family around but it was perfect. We lounged, napped, and the boys played all day!

This is a Christmas I will truly never forget. I am counting my blessings more this holiday season than ever before. My boys are healthy, for the most part. We have a cozy home, and cars to drive. Paul has a great job, and the people he works for are the best. They allow him to take time off for his family..."take care of your family and work will take care of itself." I love the company he is with. We have been so blessed to have good family and friends who have helped us so much this year.

Thank you. Thank you for your love, comments, phone calls, emails, texts, and especially your prayers. We have felt your love, faith and prayers and are so grateful!

Colors of Courage

Since our last treatment on Monday we have had quite the week. It has entailed vomiting, fever, ER visit 'til 3 in the morning and a 48 hr stay at the hospital.

Below are a few photos from our last trip to Primary Children's.

This is Dylan showing us his mad face.


Here is Dylan in the waiting room of the Infusion Center. They have lots of fun things to keep you busy.


This wall is one of the most inspiring walls you will ever see. It is pictures and letters that kids have sent in once they have beaten cancer or once they are done with chemo. The pictures of those kids will melt your heart. Suddenly life has a little more meaning. Suddenly you forget about your own worries and troubles. Your life changes. You become inspired. We are looking forward to the day when we will see Dylan's picture up there.


This is the other thing that Primary's has for the kids. It is called the "Colors of Courage". It gives the kids a bead for each thing they deal with such as: Biopsy, PICU admission, etc...



We haven't collected beads yet, but we figure that Dylan could get 15 different beads.

During this holiday season when we celebrate giving thanks and celebrate giving we at the Mogle's are extremely grateful for such wonderful people in our lives. We couldn't have dealt with any of this without people who are willing to go out of their way for us. THANKS! I know this doesn't do any justice to the debt of gratitude we are under to you all, but THANKS!

In this season of giving, we encourage you to GIVE blood. Go to your nearest Red Cross center and donate. Dylan has had 5 blood transfusions. That's 5 people who took about 30 minutes out of their day to selflessly give. Donate. You never know who will use that blood or who's life you will change.

Date Night

Last night as I sat in room 9, in the Dixie Regional Medical Center ER, my mind was racing. Racing I tell you. I was upset, mad, sad, frustrated, annoyed (when am I not annoyed?), and as I sat there staring at Dylan I found myself smiling. So this post is NOT going to be a poor-me, poor-Dylan blab session. I won't tell you about the puke session that happened in my bed at 10:30 and the second one that happened in the car at 10:50. At night! I won't fill you in on the fever, or how rotten Dylan felt last night, or about how Dylan's port wouldn't cooperate and how the nurses had to poke his left arm for blood. I won't tell you about the jam-packed ER or about how I was slightly embarrassed that my 19 month old pulled his socks off and revealed his dirty black feet to the nurses (so he went outside without shoes...or maybe my floors need to be mopped. eh, Shoot me.) No I won't tell you any of that.

As I sat there, in room 9, from 11:00 (in the PM) to 3:00 (in the AM) I decided to think positive and be grateful that I live close to a hospital, and that we have insurance and that I don't have to worry about "how are we going to pay for this?" Yes, today...and last night, I am grateful.

I am so thankful for:
a sister who answered her cell phone at 11:00 (in the PM) so I could vent about going to the ER. Again.
binkis. and the clips that attach them to my baby's clothes so they don't drop on the ground every time he spits it out. especially in the ER.
pink puke buckets. i thought we would need one last night in the ER. luckily we did not.
alcohol swabs. the nurse must have had a never-ending pocket full of them because he just kept whipping them out to keep Dylan's port clean. thank you nurse.
ports. although Dylan's was not cooperating when the nurses tried to get blood. i was able to keep fluids in him through the port.
text messaging. i was able to keep Paul up to date on the happenings in the ER without calling every 5 seconds.
camera phones. i got some funny pictures of that little boy of mine.
big thick red towels. they clean up barf really well.
hand sanitizer. seriously. the ER. do i need to explain.
Zofran. anti-nausea medicine. for dylan, not me.
tissues. who knew they could entertain a 19 month old at midnight? they did.

Dylan and I turned our ER visit into a little date night out. We played This Little Piggy, a classic hit. Peek-a-boo. We fake slept, and snored. The pink puke bucket turned into a hat. It also added a new twist on our game of peek-a-boo. I had a water bottle. We used the lid as a teacup. And we drenched the cot he was laying on. It was awesome. We listened to music and ringtones on my phone. Yoopieyay is his favorite, but I already knew that.

Whenever I asked Dylan "Are you ready to go sleepy?" He would look me right in the eye and politely say with a little shake of his head, "no!"

See, I don't think the ER bothers Dylan . Its just another part of life for him. He isn't afraid of the nurses and doctors that enter the room. He doesn't flinch or pull away when they poke and prod him. And because it doesn't seem to bother him, I decided that I wasn't going to let it bother me either.

After all was said and done we were home and in bed by 3:10 (in the AM). We slept in til 9...a first in the Mogle home. Today Dylan is tired and groggy but he hasn't thrown up. I'll take it.

Am I looking forward to another date night. Ya, but next time can we go somewhere with better food?

Here he is letting his dad know that he is #1

Today I am

physically
and
emotionally

....drained.

My house is a mess. I need a shower. I have errands to run.
Treatment #7 is done. Dylan is doing well, for now. Connor already misses his cousins.

But it feels so good to be home.

and these two are what keep me going. i love them so much.

Shoot that Water

While Connor was using the bathroom I heard him chant:

"Shoot that water. Shoot that water
Shoot that water from my potty.
Good boy Connor."

Flush....

He is just repeating the words from his current favorite nighttime book called Firetruck. In the book the boy is putting out a fire and chants:

"Shoot that water. Shoot that water.
Shoot that water from the hose on my firetruck."

I could eat him up. Yes I could.