Ryan's First Birthday

Ryan's first birthday was celebrated on Saturday, August 22 - at our home - amongst 51 friends and family members.

The week was a busy one because Jeff had been in Boise, Idaho for a drag race the weekend prior and I was in San Francisco for a Ford Dealer meeting on the 19th and the 20th. Being gone left little time for party execution.

We catered the party with Grilled Chicken, Potato Salad, Rice, Beans & Tortillas from Juan Pollo. Of course we added watermelon (a Ryan favorite) to the menu. And by miracle, I was able to have a cake made by Peggy with only 24 hours notice! (Peggy is who made our wedding cake - it is my absolute favorite!)

As with any 1st birthday party, I think that the party was really an adult gathering in honor of Ryan. Ryan really didn't know it was his day. He did get to eat most of his personal cake. If that doesn't make it "your day" I don't know what does!! I ended up opening all of his gifts for Ryan. He expressed particular interest in the boxes and bags!!

Thanks to all who were able to come - it was so nice to have everyone here for Ryan.
- Pete, Jennifer, Amanda & Jessica Coorey
- Andrew, Carrie, Keira & Brooklyn Tansley
- Uncle Bob & Aunt Marilyn Gogolin
- Fabi, Andrew, Tim & Cody Harris
- Keira (from daycare)
- Aunt Wendy
- Grandma Priscilla & Grandpa Mike
- Aimee & Ava Roolvink
- Jessica Stewart
- Karin Toomay & Steve Dodds (with granddaughter Cadence)
- Danny Dodds & Girlfriend Tricia
- Uncle Jim & Aunt Ann Kominski
- Cousins Meredith & Lane Levin
- Uncle Ken & Aunt Nancy
- Nana Joan
- Cousin Adam Norton
- Nanci & Lenny Ruest (& Monk)
- Uncle Jim, Aunt Dorothy, Cousins Jenny & Justin
- Dom, Michelle, Audrey, Joe, Anthony & Michael Vinci
- Uncle Dennis & Aunt Nadia
- Grandma Natalie
- Aaron & Janelle White

Double click on photo below to see all pictures from the party. (When you get to the pictures on the Picasa website - click on "slideshow")

Ryan's First Birthday Party

Ryan's 1st Haircut

Aunt Wendy gave Ryan his first haircut today. Ryan handled it great! He situated himself on my lap and never cried. He would occasionally whip his head back and forth as Wendy pulled up on the hair to make the snip (as if to wonder who was pulling on him - or maybe to see something he hadn't yet seen) - but she was swift and got him all trimmed up in no time!

I miss the curls he had when his hair was longer - and somehow I think the trim made him look less like a "baby" and more like a "boy".

Double Click the photo below and it will take you to the photo album from his momentus day.

Ryan's 1st Haircut

July 20 - August 16, 2009

It seems that so much has been keeping us busy - but when I actually look at a calendar, it doesn't seem like it should be too overwhelming. Why does it seem that there is NO time?!!

Jeff has had a lot of travel in the last month. I actually haven't had any at all - which has really been nice.

In the last month we had a BBQ at Scott Robertson's house, a BBQ Carnival at the Lexus Western Area, a birthday party for Joe at the Vinci's, a visit from our friend Jamey Skurtovich (from Atlanta), a birthday dinner for my cousin Jennifer, dinner at the Coorey's in beautiful Temecula, and a visit to Disneyland for Aunt Dorothy's birthday.

Dylan finished Summer School - finishing English with a C & B each semester. He's all caught up with credits now and is in a much better position for his Senior year.

Dylan made his first long-distance drive to his grandparents house in Tehachapi - 135 miles one-way. He stayed there for a week. He only got lost twice on the way out there. (I tried to get him to listen to me when I was giving driving directions) I give him credit, though, for calling for directions. He got to visit with his Dad and his half-brother while he was there. He went fishing twice - and also had a chance to golf. He also helped his Grandpa build part of his model train track.


Ryan is very vocal. He can say "ba-ba", "da-da", "Dill" (Dylan), "ice" and "don't".

He shakes his head for "no".

When you ask him how big he is - he throws up his arms into the air as we say "sooooo big".

He can give you "five".

He can throw a ball.

He can take about 5 steps - but isn't quite walking.

He can clap.

He knows his nose.

He knows his mouth - and when you ask him where his mouth is, he makes a sound like an Indian (ahhhhhhhhhh - as he pats his mouth)




He likes to look for trucks that drive up the hill into Gordon Highlands.

He asks "whats this"

He reaches up (or out) and claps his hands when he wants something.

Our visit with the Coorey's was very nice. It was the first time that we have been up to their Temecula home. It was such a great time. Their view is amazing - and it was such a relaxing visit. We really like the Cooreys! I wish I had a picture (I don't).. but Jennifer had this tunnel, made out of tent-like material, that she brought out for Ryan to try out. Ryan was like a crazy man crawling viciously in and out of the tunnel - screaming happily as he got to each end. It kept us entertained for most of the evening. His laugh was so contagious.

Dylan and I met up with Uncle Jim, Aunt Dorothy & Jenni at Disneyland on the 16th (for Aunt Dorothy's birthday). We only rode a few rides while we were there. Ryan came down with a cold or flu and was not feeling good at all....runny nose, watery eyes, high fever.... For as sick as he was, he really hung in there. Poor guy.

Anyways - I posted my favorite photos from the last month: I love the one of Ryan asleep on the piano!!
- Dylan was watching Ryan while I was getting ready for Disneyland. They were playing (er, pounding recklessly) the piano together and all the sudden it got real quiet. I came downstairs to see how it was going. I didn't see Ryan. When I asked Dylan where he was, he pointed to the piano (out of my sight). As I looked around the corner, there Ryan was - sleeping in the sitting position, slouched over onto the piano keys - mouth open.

I was fearful that he was going to try to roll over and that he would fall right off the bench - but of course had to run around the house to grab the camera first!!

The sound of the shutter woke Ryan - and I saved him from that painful looking position he was in. As he lifted his head, he revealed the piano key indentations on his left cheek. It took 40 minutes for the indents to go away.

In other random news...I found a great used toy for Ryan on Craig's List. It's a Little Tikes Swing Along Castle Climber. One side has a swing - just his size - and the other side is for climbing and sliding. There's a spinning wheel on one side of the platform and a telescope on the other. The deal finder that I am - located this little gem for only $60! So far Ryan enjoys it. He still needs a lot of supervision - but it will be a great toy for a while.

Ryan's First Time Swimming - July 5, 2009

4th of July 2009

We kicked off yet another 4th of July weekend by watching the La Verne Parade outside of Jeff's parent's house. While this tradition has been around the Norton family for many years, this was Ryan's first year. (Last year he was still incubating!)

There was a military helicopter fly-by, a swarm of motorcycles, fire trucks, marching bands, baseball teams, veterans, boy scouts, car clubs, city officials, forestry, police, equestrian clubs and some local businesses parading through the streets of La Verne celebrating our day of independence.

Ryan was entertained by the parade. So much so that he hung out with Grandma the whole time!

Father's Day 2009

This year brought new meaning to Father's Day for Jeff. Although he truly earned the title 7 years ago for caring and providing for Dylan, this year was different.

Ryan holds Jeff's heartstrings. Jeff shows that he is amazed by Ryan every day. Whether it is a new action or a simple smile - Ryan has his Daddy wrapped around his little finger. Rightfully so. He is such an amazing little boy - who has endured so much this year. Jeff has been there for Ryan every step of the way.

Jeff also continues to be very supportive of Dylan - helping him with school work, fixing his bike or his car - or simply just providing him with guidance in "life".

Jeff is the glue to our family. He is an amazing husband and Father. We celebrated him today by going to lunch at Lucille's BBQ with Jeff's parents.

It was a great time.

CHLA Update - 6/16/09

We've been on a roller-coaster with Ryan for the last 8 days.

In an attempt to heal his rash, we were suggested to administer an enema and introduce flaxseed oil to his diet. Additionally, we were instructed to begin dilations (again). Maybe too much at one time. Last Monday we were sent into a bit of panic:
- Ryan struggled all day in daycare (6/8) and had frequent stools
- His diaper rash went from zero to OH MY GOD (Personally I think it was the effects of the flaxseed oil).
- Jeff was on high alert and full panic when I arrived home which freaked me out - therefore I made a panicked phone call to Ryan's surgeon and things happened very fast.

Tuesday - Ryan's surgeon made a special trip into the office to see Ryan and I. Ryan's surgeon was recommending a temporary colostomy (6-12 mo) but wanted us to get a second opinion from another collegue at CHLA. (By the way.. this was pretty devastating news to me)

Friday - We had an appointment at CHLA for a contrast enema (X-Ray)
Being witness to the X-Ray, Jeff and I both noticed something abnormal about the path of the contrast. Immediately following the procedure, I was making phone calls to get feedback on what we saw.

Weekend - No word from CHLA. Ryan catches a cold. Had to call the pediatrician over the weekend to get medication recommendations. Turns out you can actually give a baby Robitussin. (As long as your doctor says it's okay)

Monday - Got a phone call from the nurse at CHLA. She reported to us that there was an abnormal reading on the report. Not being one who likes to be caught off guard with "news", I made phone calls to the surgeon's office for clarification. He confirmed that there was part of the intestine that appeared to be twisted on itself, but that this was NOT a concern. However, the report (in his mind) was missing the one thing he would have wanted it to say: Was there (or was there not) a narrowing? He wouldn't have access to the actual film until Tuesday.

Tuesday (today) - We were seen by "the collegue". After reviewing the X-Ray/report and doing an exam, his recommendation was NOT that of Ryan's surgeon. Instead he want's us to stay the course (less the flaxseed oil). In his opinion, everything Ryan is experiencing is "normal" post-surgery and the X-Rays showed nothing of concern.

Anyone who has ever been seen at CHLA knows that things NEVER happen this fast. Phone calls were made and favors were called in to get Ryan seen and treated in an extremely short timeframe. Because of the speed in which things were happening, I was alarmed that something "bad" was on the horizon. Today we were soothed of this fear.

I am so thankful that the right team of doctors are assigned to Ryan. (Thank you GOD for this team). Moving forward, we now know that the expectation for care is another 12 months (or more). It isn't going to be an easy road. There will continue to be days that will seem too hard to handle. I look forward to the day that we look back on all of this as a distant memory.

Love, Positive Thoughts, Prayers.

May Day! May Day!

May has been quite the busy month.

Dylan turned 17. Jeff turned 39.

Jeff worked 2 races this month. I had my first root canal. Ryan had (another) ear infection. My girlfriend Billie had her baby shower. We attended Kent's going away party because he is moving to Saudi Arabia for 2 years. (You know the economy is bad when you have to find work 10,000 miles away)

Ryan is crawling all over the place. He requires a solid eye at all times. With all that consumes our day-to-day agenda, the best moments are when we have the opportunity to hold Ryan without a struggle. Even with our to-do list piling high - Jeff and I both have a hard time putting Ryan down when we can just enjoy him in such an innocent, peaceful moment.

My girlfriend Billie took this picture of Ryan and I at her baby shower. I was running an hour late. Once I arrived, I didn't have a chance to eat, socialize or participate in the games because Ryan was crying. (His ears were bothering him) There was NOTHING I could do to make Ryan happy. Then as everyone was starting to leave - Ryan finally fell asleep. So on Billie's couch we plopped. It was the first chance I had to catch my breath - yet there I sat holding him and enjoying that moment. All the frustration of the previous hour had vanished.

I'm so glad Billie took this picture. I don't ever want to forget these moments.

Has It Really Been Over A Month?

Wow. Where does time go? It's been 41 days since I last did an update. With so much time in between posts I don't even know if I really remember what it is that we've been so busy with. I couldn't even tell you what I did two days ago. But with no one inquiring about where the posts are... I think I may have lost everyone! ARE YOU STILL OUT THERE???

Overall, Ryan is growing very quickly. It seemed that overnight he outgrew his infant seat. Grandma Norton bought Ryan his big boy car seat. He seems to like it. I know I do!




Ryan likes to eat finger foods. It's very difficult these days to get him to eat food from a baby food jar. He much prefers something he can eat on his own. He likes crackers, hot dogs and eggs. I haven't tried much else. Just last night he ate 2 hot dogs and a graham cracker. These days Cole and Parker keep a very close watch on Ryan. Ryan hasn't figured out the "sharing" potential yet - but that doesn't stop Parker from stealing a piece out of his hand every once in a while. ...and Parker's always kind enough to clean the mashed food off of Ryan's hands or cheeks.








Ryan still has his rash. I can't believe it is not yet gone. Just when I think we're close to curing it - - it gets so much worse. Within this last month he ruptured an ear drum. It took just hours for the antibiotic he was given to cause a bum flare-up. Poor guy can't catch a break!

Ryan is crawling all over the floor and babbling up a storm. He really likes peek-a-boo and he seems to like making screaming "ahhhh" sounds. He thinks he's funny. Now that he is getting around good (and FAST), Jeff and I need to comb the house on our hands and knees and baby proof our home. Ryan's already been caught with pieces of Parker-toy in his mouth - and just today he became a little too fascinated with one of the plug outlets in the kitchen.

Dylan finished his indoor soccer session. His team, "Revolution", took 1st place with an undefeated record. Dylan expressed interest in playing the next session. I'm not sure when that is. He seems to be more interested in playing soccer than racing these days.

Jeff has stayed busy. He finished the final touches on our kitchen and he has been spending some weekends working at some of the tracks helping with various drag races.



We recently purchased a flip cam, so moving forward there will probably be a lot more videos to share!

What Does It Take To Cure a "Nappy" Rash?

It's been 61 days since Ryan's surgery. As you all know, the most difficult part of the healing process has been trying to get his diaper "rash" to heal. I'd like to go out on a limb here and say that we've tried it all!!

To start, we haven't been using baby wipes - only water. If we don't have him in the kitchen sink, then we use a hospital supplied squirt bottle. We have 100% cotton diapers that we use to dry his bottom off.

From ointments to powders to fungus medications and burn cream - to cooking staples (corn starch and olive oil) to bag balm (for Cow udders) to Maalox to Australian remedies (Jeff's long-time friend John sent us 3 different things from Australia! I was surprised that you could send diaper rash cream from one country to another) We've had so many people provide us with their miracle cures - all which have failed us.

I am happy to report that Ryan is nearly healed. It was none of the rash or fungal treatments... it was an incontinence treatment - - Ilex Paste - - that was recommended to us by a nurse at CHLA. (This stuff rules - why didn't they give it to us in the first place?!!) We've been using it almost a week now and the rash is almost all gone!

We have quite the supply - the picture only shows a sampling of what we've used... we buy everything in triplicate! We know that in the 2 years Ryan will be in diapers - - we should never have a shortage of diaper creams. (And if you ever need advice - - I'm your go-to gal!)

With all of the sink baths Ryan gets, he is surely the cleanest kid around. Lucky for him (and us) he really does enjoy his bath!

Ryan Eats...And Eats...And Eats

It's hard to believe that just a few weeks ago we introduced Ryan to solid food. I remember thinking then how trying it was to get him to eat off of a spoon. Flash forward to today. Ryan can chow down 2-3 jars of baby food per sitting. Just this week we started giving him graham crackers (thanks "Aunt" Michelle). In 3 short days he has gone from not being able to coordinate the cracker to his mouth to being able to pick up small pieces and hand them off from one hand to the other hand to his mouth. He is even beginning to make chewing motions once the food is in his mouth.

This week Ryan was weighed at 19lbs 1 oz. He's definitely a growing baby!

I imagine now that his two top teeth are coming in, Ryan will be wanting to eat more finger foods.

Sadie's 2009

I didn't quite understand the Sadie's approach. As I remember it, Sadie Hawkins was the unconventional approach where girls would ask the guys to the dance, pay for dinner, dance tickets, etc. You dress up like a bunch of Farmers (overalls, plaid shirts, etc) and you go to the school for the chaperoned dance.

Like most dances I've been witness to over Dylan's high school years. The rules have changed. Asking someone to the dance is quite the ordeal. Dylan told me this year he got asked to Sadie's and showed me a picture on his phone where "Sadies ?" was spelled out, in flower petals - I think, on someones kitchen floor. He accepted. I'm thinking, "Great!" a dance I finally don't have to pay for!



Well, then the plot thickens.

The kids aren't really going to the dance (that's lame). They're going to Knott's Berry Farm. So I argued that they weren't "really" going to Sadie's - so why go through all the the drama? Then it turns out that Dylan is paying his half, the girl is paying her half.. it all just starts to fall apart in my mind from what I ever believed Sadie's to be. Not to mention, the whole farmer theme doesn't even exist anymore. The kids just buy matching T-Shirts (which I guess is better, because who want's to buy a stupid flannel shirt and overalls anyways?)




So long story short... 3 weeks pass and TODAY was the day. 4:30p. Meet at so-in-so's house for photo's and get them all on their way. I was just meeting the kids at the designated home to take some pictures. I arrived - but Dylan was not yet there. So I called him and he let's me know that his date is "Missing in Action". The group was going over to her house (I don't know her name) and was going to see if she was there. As it turns out, his date "forgot" today was Sadie's. Oh, brother. She did eventually show up.




Originally the kids weren't ever going to make an appearance at the school, but I guess they decided that they would go for pictures before heading out to Knott's. Since the park closes at 10p, I can't even imagine that they had more than just a couple hours there. It's all kind of a mess.




Oh the drama of High School. To think that such memories are the ones that we hold on to for the rest of our lives.

Spring Forward

For some reason it just donned on me that it is March. It wasn't until I got the work email reminding me to set the clocks forward tonight that I realized we are 3 months into 2009, Ryan is nearly 7 months old, we've been in our house for 2 years, Dylan is going to be 17 in 2 months.... it all just flies by so quickly. Is it me - or does time go by faster with each passing year?

Just a couple weeks ago, Ryan started sitting with a little assistance - - now he can go a long while balancing on his own. Just last week his two bottom teeth came through. (see photos... below the carrots stuck to his nose are 2 darling little teeth) He rolls over from front to back and back to front. I know it will be any day now he will figure out how to crawl - - and then we're all in trouble!

We think Ryan got Roseola. He ran a high fever (103.3) and then just a couple days later had blotches all over his skin. I didn't even know what it was until after it had passed. Ryan and I both suffered from a cold over the past couple of weeks. I think we're both almost over it.

We almost got Ryan's diaper rash cleared - - and now I swear it's worse than ever. We've tried every diaper cream (Triple Paste is my favorite so far), fungus medication, yeast medication, olive oil.. you name it. His pediatrician is now treating it like a burn. I am applying a prescription burn cream to his bottom to see if it helps. While I've been using it two days now... I think I have seen the most improvement by introducing Corn Starch. I've been on booty duty all day today making sure that he is clean and dry so that he doesn't get any worse. I know that Ryan will be the happiest when it is all clear... but selfishly, I look forward to having a little more freedom. Maybe one of these day's I'll actually get around to some chores around here. For now, not much is getting done with all of the hands-on care and attention.

Dylan joined an indoor soccer league. His first game was today. He's playing Forward on a co-ed team. He's never played soccer before but seems to be doing pretty good. I'm completely lost watching the game because I don't know what the rules are. I'm so used to him playing football, that I somewhat expect for him to take out one of the players. That's something I'm going to have to get used to: Soccer is not a full contact sport. I just hope Dylan remembers that too!
- Dylan's team won.

Back from Unintentional Hiatus

It's been a while since I've updated the Blog. The week at Children's was very overwhelming, we've been busy with Ryan and it's been pretty chaotic at work - so hopping right into updating the blog hasn't been at the top of my list when spare time rolls around. We've spent most of our social time on Facebook, so I'll do a quick update for those who have been wondering where the updates are - but I warn you, there isn't much to talk about these days except for poop...I guess this is what my life has become. (How boring I must be... I really need to get out)

We've been spending most of our time at home since Ryan was discharged from the hospital. Ryan's body is getting used to the new bowel situation. Until Ryan's body gets used to the new "piping" - he will have frequent stooling. Because of this, he has developed an insane diaper rash that has not gone away in a couple of weeks now. The rash been very painful for Ryan. We ONLY rinse his bottom in the sink - never with wipes - to cause as little irritation to the open, bleeding sores on his bottom. (As you can imagine, this is very limiting on our time outside the home) Ryan's doctor assures us that the rash is normal after such a procedure and the situation will continue to improve as the frequency of bowel movements slow.

There were a few days that Ryan would cry each time that he started to stool. He was in so much discomfort - that he would wake up in the middle of a dead sleep. He'd cry and kick his legs until we could get him changed. Sometimes we'd barely get his diaper back on before the next movement. We were changing his diaper up to 30+ times a day just to keep him dry. This was horrible for all of us - but mostly him. He was tired and he was not comfortable. Because of this, I bowed out of Supercross in San Diego on Valentines Day with the family. Jeff and Dylan went ahead and went to the Event - and Ryan and I stayed with the comforts of home. As a precaution, I took Ryan to the ER at Children's to make sure that he was okay. After a couple of X-Rays and an exam by the surgical team, he checked out to be just fine. His symptoms have been better since Saturday. I feel like he may be finally improving!

Now that Ryan has had his surgery, we have been able to to feed him stage 1 foods. So far we've given him rice cereal, bananas and sweet potatoes. He LOVES the sweet potatoes. In addition to the nutritional benefits and the developmental milestone, the food helps to thicken Ryan's stool - which will slow down the frequency of dirty diapers. The doctor also suggested giving Ryan Soy formula to help thicken the stool... Ryan loves it... I think it stinks!! Needless to say, I just bought 2 tubs of it at Costco.

Other events that don't involve poop - -

My company had it's second round of lay-offs in one year. I luckily survived (again). Although I have a job, I have taken on much more responsibility. In addition to working on Ford, I now work on Lincoln-Mercury - and my territory was expanded from just California and Hawaii to the "Western Region" - which picks up Seattle, Portland, Montana, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. It's been a learning curve getting up to speed on the Lincoln-Mercury brand and my new markets. I can't complain, though, because I am still employed in this bad economy.

Dylan got his first place trophy for Best of the West. We did not go to the banquet ceremony yesterday - but we are so very proud of his accomplishment. It's kind of sad to think that he doesn't want to race this year. He worked all of last year to ride the Best of the West series - and in addition to his #1 BOTW ranking, he got the #17 plate in his 250cc class.

We've had some uncharacteristic California weather lately. Lots of rain - and it's been very cold (c'mon, we're spoiled... we like our 80 degree weather, that's why we live here). I was actually supposed to be in Pebble Beach today - for a Ford meeting tomorrow morning. My plan was to drive up this morning and come home tomorrow night - but I woke up to news this morning that the Grapevine was closed due to snow - and the 101 (my alternate route) was flagged with flash flood warning for the entire route. After calling my co-workers, it was decided that it just was not worth my making the drive given the inclement weather. The good news with all of this cold weather and rain is that our local mountains get loaded with snow. It makes for such a gorgeous view.

Photos:
Ryan with Family on 2/8
The view of the mountains on my way home 2/13 (pretty snow, ugly holiday traffic)
Ryan and I at Children's on 2/14

Video:
Ryan babbling away in the ER - tries to eat my camera!