2 Brothers Layne

Today ended up being a big day for us. We went to PCMC for blood work, a cardiology appointment, and to visit with Dr. Null. The blood work only required one finger poke! The appointment with Dr. Day (the cardiologist) went well. from the looks of his EKG his pulmonary hypertension is stable. He said that the only exact way to know exactly how things are doing inside his heart is to do a heart catheter. To make a long story short, I weighed out the pros and cons and decided that I didn't feel it was worth the risk right now. The visit with Dr. Null went great! He looked at the results of Jonah's blood work and he decided that Jonah was ready to be off his Arginine Chloride!!! This is a big one (when we came home from the NICU Jonah was getting 26ml every 8 hours and now a year later he is off!) Everyone seems to be very pleased with how well Jonah is doing and that he is making so much progress! Dave made it to Columbia Missouri tonight. He has traveled 1,200 miles and...

So Dave left this morning and drove over 600 miles. He is sleeping in North Platt, Nebraska. He says that the drive was made tolerable by listening to some books on tape and he seems to be in good spirits! Jonah and I had a most enjoyable day. We went to church then we did some visiting in North Ogden with Grandma Dianne. Jonah was a riot. He was so alert and interested in Dianne's two granddaughters. There was a point at which Jonah was observing the girls play soccer outside on the lawn and after watching a few minutes he asked to play. I put him in the grass (don't worry, he had on his socks and shoes) and support his arms and it was then that he stepped toward the ball with his left foot and kicked hard with his right. I was so amazed! I it is so exciting to see Jonah pick up on new things so quickly! Jonah showing off his Cheesy grin! Just a cute picture! Dianne's granddaughter brought over some of her old toys for Jonah to play with. He LOVED this train engine ...

So I seem to have been on the verge of tears on and off all day as I watched Dave say his goodbyes to family. Dave leaves in the morning to drive to Norfolk and the reality is finally setting in that life as I've known it will be changing very soon. It will be hard to see him leave in the morning but at least this time it will only be for a month or so. I've been asked when Jonah, Jax, and I will be following and the best answer I have right now is that we could leave any time after September 10th. I've been told it will take 10 days to 2 weeks to get Jonah's home health and respite stuff transferred to, and setup in Norfolk. So two weeks after Dave gives me an address for our new home Jonah and I will be scheduled to arrive in Virginia. Miss Mikki! Mr. Maxx! Mr. Matt! Miss Maddy! As for our day, we took things a little slower today. We visited the Pali family (All 6 of them!) at their house! The twins came home this morning! They are soooo Cute! Then this even...

I'm so glad Dave came home rather than going straight to Norfolk. He has been so much help in getting things ready for the movers to come on Wednesday. We had a little bit slower morning thanks to Nurse Ally. The rest of the day was filled with running here and there getting things all sorted. At 4:30 we called it quits on errands and headed to the county fair to watch Matt and Maddy participate in the Pee Wee Show. This is a contest for kiddos ages 3-8 who dress up in costumes and dress dress up a lamb as well. This year Matt and his "First Mate" Maddy were pirates and their lamb was their "pirate sip" (ship). They took 2nd place overall in the Jr. Division. Jonah seemed to really enjoy himself. Jonah chillin with Aunt Nene. The cutest "First Mate" Ever! Matt telling the announcer about his eye patch! Maddy is in her daddy's arms. She got stage fright and needed some comfort. The might Pirate MATT and his Loot (for taking second place he won a ...

Daddy and Jonah at the fair! Maddy and Jonah riding around at the fair. Jonah kept using Maddy as a back rest... Not Maddy's favorite. Beautiful baby Mikkinsey (Mikki)! Maxx is equally as cute but very boyish! We started the day out at 5:00 so we could visit the twins in the McKay Dee NICU. It was wonderful. Baby Mikki smiled at me, this is Dave, and we had a moment!!! It was the BEST TIME EVER!!!! Then on to PCMC for a visit to the pulmonologist. Who has only seen Jonah once and that was one year ago. He was amazed at how well Jonah is doing. A short visit to Dr. Null today just to say hi. We also saw Catherine and Jane for a brief minute. It was good to see every one again. (Tanya) So I have a cute story to tell on Dave! When the pulmonologist's nurse walked us back to the room Dave was pushing Jonah in the stroller and he was rather quiet. The nurse directed most of her admit questions to me. During the questioning Jonah asked Daddy to sing him "Pigeon Hou...

Today we went to the Box Elder County Parade. It was a lot of fun. Well not so much looking at the floats but playing with Jonah and his cousins was a bundle of fun!!! Jonah showed off his sweet tooth tonight, as the pictures will show. It always gives me great pleasure to hang out with my nieces and nephews!! My oldest brother, Andy, stopped by this evening also!! We had a great visit. This is a cherry pop sickle. Jonah liked it at first, but he prefers grape. As you can see I am great at giving moral support (helping Jonah to stick out his tongue by sticking mine out as well). (Dang I am good looking). (ha ha ha). As soon as Auntie M showed up Jonah had to sit with her. Around this time Malt-O-Meal came by and gave us some cereal. This is Maddy showing Jonah how to eat froot loops. If you look closely you will see Jonah looking at me through partially closed eyes. I will leave what he is thinking up to you to decide. We would love to hear your thoughts on this one. Jonah ...

Here are a few of the pictures I said I would post. This is Jonah and Cousin Maksim playing on Nana's lap at the family dinner we had on Sunday. This is the 4 generation photo I also promised! LOVE this picture! This is Dave and his big brother Andy! These last picts are from tonight's impromptu Birthday Party for Jonah. I decided that we might as well celebrate Jonah' s birthday while Daddy was home to enjoy it too. The is Pirate Matt and Pirate Maddy, Cousin Garrison, and Birthday Boy Jonah. Matt and Maddy will be participating in the Pee-Wee Lead show at the Box Elder County Fair on Friday. They will be Pirates and their lamb will be their ship! Here are the cousins again going for a ride on the wagon with my grandma, Nanny! We spend the morning in SLC at the eye doctor's. He said that Jonah is doing well and does not yet need glasses to fix his near sightedness but eventually he will. He also said that we need to be sure that Jonah's eyes are checked eve...

Hi everyone!!! It's me again. It has been a great joy to be home with Tanya and Jonah!!! It is kind of like a dream, to be able to wake up and see my family in person and not over the phone or internet. Today was a lot of fun. We started off the day with a visit to the PCMC children's rehab place in Ogden to get Jonah fitted for his new set of DFAO's (Braces that allow him to stand up, kinda like big plastic shoes). We came home and had a great day. I went golfing with my brother in Smithfield. Too much fun. Here are a few pictures of the NICU reunion. It's me and Jonah in the pool.

It has been so nice to have a lazy Sunday with Daddy. We went to church and Jonah didn't squak at the cute little Deacon for bringing the bread! Improvement! Then we ate lunch as a family, and had a Layne Family get together in Riverside. It was so good to see everyone and enjoy some really good food. I even got a 4 generation photo with Jonah, David, Marion (Nana), and Grandma Andrew (Nana's Mom). I'll post the pic tomorrow. I'm beat and need some rest so we can all get up early and be in Roy at 7:30!

Guess who showed up at my door this afternoon? . . . DAVE! I could hardly believe my eyes. I gave him a big hug and cried. I'm told that everyone has known that he was coming since Thursday except, of course, me. I couldn't have asked for a better surprise. Then this afternoon we went to the North Ogden Pool for the McKay-Dee NICU Reunion. It was so good to see one of our NICU Families. I was so sad when we arrived when I discovered that the camera didn't make it into the bag! Sorry for the lack of pictures. The plan is to have Dave home with us for 6 or 7 days then he will drive our car to Virginia and get things set up.

Today our big event was Jonah overcoming his fear of the noises lambs make. Jonah's last name might be Layne but he's still half Selman. If you know much about my childhood you'd know that I was raised with sheep. So the fact that Jonah was scared of them ment it was time for some intervention. The Box Elder County Fair is coming up next week and my parents have 40 4-H kids they look after. As part of the fair preparation all the kids with lamb projects bring their lambs to our house to have my Dad sheer them. So today Gaga and Jonah were playing on the floor while Gaga waited for the next batch of sheep to arrive. When they came and Gaga left Jonah was very upset. He told me that he wanted his Gaga so we followed him outside. Jonah was unsure and periodically in tears as the lambs would blat and startle him. Eventually he grew more accustomed and was finally able to enjoy the fresh air and watching Gaga.

Jonah's vision therapist really challenged him today with asking him to play in finger paints. Jonah is not a fan of squishy wet textures! I love this picture! It gives the indication that Jonah was enjoying himself... that was not the case. Jonah is just really good at cheesing for the camera! Be sure to check out the video to see his real reaction! The weather here was FANTASTIC! Temp. was 78 with beautiful blue skies and a light breeze! We decided to take full advantage of the beautiful day and play outside. Jonah got caught red handed! Jonah loved playing in the sunshine! Bandit (my mom's mini schnauzer) is a bad as any kid when it comes to being jealous! He was feeling a little disappointed that Mamaw was holding Jonah and not him so he jumped up and sat on Jonah's lap! Funny Puppy! This last video is what happens when we give Jonah sour gummy bugs while standing in his stander!

Jonah has discovered a new favorite activity... Tickling Mommy's feet! He thinks it 's so FUNNY to grab hold of my toes and stare up at me with his big blue eyes and wait for me to laugh. It makes my heart light to see the joy in his face! This is a picture of the Adaptive Stroller I put on my wish list for Jonah. A few weeks ago I was discussing with our PT that eventually when Jonah gets into preschool I wanted him to have his own set of wheels for the teacher and staff to help Jonah get around the school. She suggested that we get to work on it now. So today Tressa (our PT) and Ron (from National Seating and Mobility) came to our house and measured Jonah for his new wheels! With a bit of luck we'll get Tricare to approve it and have it here in a month or two!

So we've decided to send Dave straight from Pensacola to Norfolk. Dave will secure housing, establish medical contacts for Jonah, and get a feel for the area. When all of that is accomplished we will have Dave fly to Utah where he will have a few days to visit with family and friends then Dave, Jonah, Jaxton (our dog), and I will hope a flight to our new home. I've been very reluctant to put Jonah on a plane but when we considered the risks of equipment malfunction or Jonah having a medical emergency is some small town during our 6+ day journey across the US we decided that a 6 hour flight sounded much better. So this is the plan for the moment... It seems that we are always having to adjust our plans as we get new information. Big NEWS! Jonah has said Mom like 5 times tonight. I think this time it might be permanently in his vocabulary! Super exciting!

Today was Neonatal Follow-up Clinic. I thought we were just visiting with Neurology, and Ophthalmology but I was misinformed. We visited with Neurology, Audiology, Speech, Pediatrics, and Psychology. Dr. Hoffman (the Ophthalmologist) had to leave to catch a flight and so we missed getting to see him. That just means we'll be headed to SLC on more time next week to see him at his clinic. Everyone we visited with was supremely impressed with all Jonah has accomplished over the last year!

Only 5 more days until Dave is home! It was stake conference here today so that meant no church for Jonah and me. Bummer! Sure do miss church when we can't go. It looks like it will be a busy rest of the month with 2 trips to PCMC (one on the 26th and again on the 30th) and a couple of trips to Ogden for Jonah's appointments, and lots of therapy visits. Tomorrow we go to Neonatal Follow-up Clinic in Ogden. We only have to see the eye doctor and the neurologist but it will probably take the majority of the day.

Jonah and I are counting down the days until Daddy comes home. I can hardly wait! From new information I found today Jonah and I will be staying with my parents until our housing can be arranged in Norfolk. That could mean a month or more. So those of you who have been concerned that we'll move before you can sneak in a visit, we have some time. Jonah is still saying Barbara and as such I have now dubbed myself as "Mommy Barbara" He He He! I know I'm pathetic! But hey, at least he can get my attention when my back is turned!

So it being Friday we got to go to music class and gymnastics. I was hoping that gymnastics would go better this week than last. No such luck! Jonah screamed and screamed and I being the mean mommy that I am made him participate the full 30 minutes. Hopefully with time he'll decide that it's not so bad.

Not much happened today. Jonah and I had some quality play time and I got a much needed hair cut. We received some details this week in regards to Dave's new station in Norfolk. Dave will leave Pensacola on Friday August 20th and fly to SLC. He will be here with us for 10-12 days then he will report to Virginia. As for Jonah and I and our time line ... well ... there are a few facts will determine how quickly we will join him. If everything went PERFECTLY we could all end up in Virginia as early as August 31st. It is highly unlikely that this will happen and Jonah and I will probably be here through September. It is in the Lord's hands and what will be will be.

Jonah shocked the pants off of me today (not really, but you get the idea)! Jonah and I went to Nanny and Papa's house to practice walking in his walker. Cousin Garrison was there and played with. The background behind the first video was that Garrison was telling me about spending the day with Nanny and her partner Barbara at their quilt shop. Jonah heard the name Barbara and spit it out at us. My jaw hit the floor and I automatically thought "I'll bet he can't say it again" So asked him to say Barbara and he did it again. It was not a fluke. He can say Barbara on command just as well as he says Daddy! The second video is how much improvement Jonah showed us tonight using his walker.

Jonah got two new cousins in one day! That's right Aunt "M" had the twins today. If you're thinking that they are early you are right. Their due date wasn't until around September 21st. Last we heard Aunt "M" and both babies were doing well. Both Maxx and Mikki weighed over 5 lbs and are currently residing in the McKay-Dee NICU. I called the unit and made sure that the babies were in good hands tonight and they are!!! Nurse Christy has them both! We hope to to have all of them home soon!

I had to get a quick photo of Jonah in the time out chair. He only needed to be there twice today! Big improvement from the weekend. Today Jonah and I decided to try out a new Gluten Free Cookie Recipe. Jonah wasn't in to feeling foods today so he got to help me put wrappers and such in the trash! He had quite a good aim. Still no details as to when we'll be relocating. I'll keep you posted.

Sundays are always a little rough on the napping schedule around our house. Jonah is ready for his nap at about 11:30 and I have to wake him no later than 12:30 to got to church. It's enough of a nap to pep him up for a while and to convince him that no further napping is necessary. So by this evening he was pretty sleepy. "M" (My older sister Morgan) became the lucky recipient of Jonah snuggles! Jonah LOVES his "M" and is always so excited to see her! He doesn't seem to mind the fact that the twins (Maxxwel and Mikkinsey) are hogging her entire lap now days either. For a while Jonah was content to quietly lay with his head on "M"'s tummy. It was pretty cute. I think the cuddles were mutually appreciated!

Jonah took a 2.5 hour nap today!!! It was so nice to have a few minutes to get some yummy treats baked and ready for tomorrow. This afternoon Jonah and I tagged along with Grandma and Grandpa to my cousin Kacie's soccer game! It was so fun to see her play and Jonah didn't seem to mind the heat at all. The rest of the day was pretty low key. Tomorrow should be a busy one for us, well have to wait and see!

My sweet little boy is defiantly hitting the "terrible two" stage!!! Today we had to start using the timeout chair. Jonah has developed some less than desirable behaviors to get attention and as a result we've instated the Time Out Chair! We are using his Bumbo Seat placed to face a very boring empty corner. We (nurse Ally and I) had to use it three times today. The first time Jonah thought it was quite funny and continued the negative behavior while turning to see what we thought. After he was sufficiently ignored he decided he really didn't like the time out chair. By the third time he seemed to understand the drill which made for a much shorter timeout (30 seconds rather than a couple of minutes)! It being Friday we got to attend music and gymnastic class. Both classes went very well last week and I kinda thought today would be much the same... boy was I wrong! Music class went well but everything fell apart during Gymnastics. Jonah had a 20 minute tantru...

Jonah has always been a Daddy's boy but the past 2 days he is constantly asking for DADDY. Jonah LOVES to skype (video chat online) with Dave every chance we get and today was no exception. Jonah really put on a show for Daddy. He ended the routine with a whistle solo! Pretty darn cute!

Today Jonah was due for some routine bloodwork and since we're not headed for PCMC in the near future we opted to head for the Tremonton Hospital. What I love about this arrangement. Our next door neighbor (well across the street) is a phlebotomist/lab tech at the hospital. She is excellent at finding the single good vein in Jonah's arm and she lets us in the back door so that Jonah is never exposed to the general public. Jonah cried more out of discomfort from the rubber band around his arm than the poke! There are a ton of logistical things to work out before our little family will be ready to move. There is plenty to keep my busy on days I have a nurse!

We'll be going to Norfolk Virginia! We are very excited for this life altering change and anxious to get all the details. Dave tells me it could take as long as 10 days to get all the details of his new assignment. In the mean time I've spent a good share of the day on the internet checking things out! It is such a relief to finally have one of many question marks that have dotted our lives for the past 7 months replaced with an exclamation mark! Here is a map to help you visualize our new location. Norfolk is in the South East corner. According to Google map it would take 36 hours to drive straight through from Tremonton Utah to Norfolk! Thats a LOOOOONG way. This monstrosity is a MH-53E Sea Dragon. It is one of the largest helicopters in the western world and it is the aircraft Dave will be working on. This aircraft is used in mine-sweeping counter measures. This squadron is land based not ship based. As for Jonah... well he's had a low key day (maybe a little m...

So I've had a thought on my mind and I thought I'd run it past our blog friends to see what you think. Jonah prefers strong flavors and I've often wondered why. My new theory is that the smell of the Oxygen (yes pure Oxygen has a distinct odor) causes mild flavors to have nearly no taste so that means in order for Jonah to taste the flavor of something it needs to be really strong. So what do you think? Could that possibly help to explain his love of strong flavors? Jonah has has a pretty calm day. No therapy appointments, no Dr. Appointments, and no nurses to play with. As for our new location.... we will be stationed.... where ever the Navy sends us! Thats right, we still don't know. But lets make the wait a little more entertaining by everyone posting a guess as to where you think we'll end up. The 5 possible locations are Washington D.C., Norfolk Virginia, Jacksonville Florida, San Diego California, and Bremerton Washington.

Funny story from church today... Jonah associates church with taking the sacrament, specifically the water. He was glad to be back after missing last week due to being ill. I have made it a habit to require Jonah to sit on my lap and fold his arms when it's time for the sacrament. He has become well accustomed to this and usually behave rather well. Today when I told him it was time for him to sit with Mommy because the boys were going to bless the sacrament he clapped his hands and signed water. So after the prayer was over he anxiously watched the door waiting for the deacon to arrive. He became very excited when the young man walked thorough the door. I quickly took a piece for each of us and showed Jonah what I had. Jonah looked at the bread then at the young man and promptly squaked at him, indicating his displeasure. Then Jonah signed water! I quickly reassured him that the boy would bring water the next time he came. It was all I could do to not roll on the floor ...