2 Brothers Layne

What a beautiful day today was!!!  T-shirt weather here.  Today we helped Joy and family finish up packing and they left around 5 pm.  The weather was wonderful today.  We took Jonah for a walk, not that he is a dog or something; but, we also went for a bike ride.  It was filled with playing. Tanya noticed that Jonah is content with sitting in front of the tv and watching his movies.  So, as the wonderful mommy Tanya is she developed a piggy bank chart.  Jonah is given 4 coins each day, if he does a good job helping clean up his toys at night he can earn more coins, that he can use to watch tv.  Each coin is worth 30 minutes.  She started this yesterday.  She was not going to make him pay on the weekends but today he said to her, " I am ready to buy my movie" this morning.  He only watch 30 minutes of the 1 hour he wanted. Then in the evening we were invited to the bulloughs home for dinner and a celebration.  It was very ...

spent the whole of today helping Joy and the family move!  Too busy to write much!

Today was a busy yet not really productive day.  You know that kind that you run a million miles an hour and have nothing to really show for it.  That was our house today.   Baby Jayden spent the day with Jonah and I again.  It sure keeps me hopping to look after 2 kiddos at once.  Joy is getting closer to having the house all packed up and ready.  Their last day will be tomorrow :(  Jayden showed off his lung capacity today telling me all about how starving he was.  This prompted Jonah to also vocalize his discomfort with equal zeal.  Oh the fun!

So our day has been spent playing with Baby Jayden so that Joy and her family could focus on the big move.  Their plan is to have everything out of the house and be on the road tomorrow evening.  We sure are going to miss them! Jonah and Molly have been a little jealous of Jayden on and off today.  Jayden can sense the changes and is very clingy as a result so he spent most of the day in my arms.  We have been receiving Jonah's nursing care through Tricare but a 3 months ago I got a call saying that it would be coming to an end (in Jan. 2012) because Jonah does not meet their minimal requirements to qualify for the service.  So I set about trying to see if Medicaid would help us out...  They did!  We recently received a letter of approval from Medicaid approving us for 248 hours per month.  That's the equivalent of 31 - 8 hour shifts each month.  I hope I never need to use that much time but it's nice to know that it's available should we n...

I sure love bedtime with Jonah.  Tonight after reading from the scriptures and singing some primary songs it was time for prayers.  We knelt down in front of the rocking chair that's in Jonah's room.  Jonah was positioned in front of me and had his head bowed over my arm.  Amid the prayer I was offering I feel a sweet little kiss on my hand.  Then another and another.  I was sure to thank my Heavenly Father for Jonah's sweet kisses and all of his snuggles.  When I ended the prayer he turned around and gave me a HUGE smile, a kiss on the cheek, and big hug.  Such a tender cherished moment with my angel boy! Moments like this make all the lost sleep, messes, and worry all worth it!

 Today was so very much fun for our little family!!!  Jonah had a grand Ol' time playing with his red Eggs pan, skyping with family, and playing memory with mom and dad.    Jonah playing with his kitchen.  He turned on our piano to percussion and was groovin' and cookin' today. Jonah showing us that he put his eggs and bacon in the oven to let them sizzle. Another shot of Jonah's kitchen.  

Me  Merry Christmas everyone!!  We had a very enjoyable day.  Although we did have some sickness still lingering, yet it was great!!!  Jonah had a great day!!  His favorite were the red pots and pans with bacon and eggs.  He cooked and he cooked today.  He would frequently call Tanya or myself and say, "Can you see the bacon sizzling?"  It was very funny.  We had a great time skyping with family and friends.  Santa left some hotwheels in Jonah's stocking.  After getting them on the ground the first thing out of his mouth was, "I'm going to drive to grandma's house."   Tanya got up extra early just to look good for christmas pictures.  Just kidding.  She couldn't sleep.  This darn cold is getting the better of her. She is showing off her ear muffs. Tanya sporting her new flipflops from Auntie Ally. Jonah's, puppy pillow blanket.  Molly loves this too.  It is funny to watch...

Today was a lot of fun, except for the sickness.  This morning we made it out to shop-o-rama to pick up the other stuff so we could have lunch tomorrow.  We had to call our friends and tell them we are sick and they chose not to come.  I don't blame them.  We had fun regardless.  Molly  went to the groomer.  I guess she felt very cold with out all her hair.  She spent a lot of time in her kennel.  So Jonah and I decided to join her.  Jonah unwrapping Auntie Ally's and Coley's present Thanks Gals!!! It says toadally Green. Look I got one too!!! Oh, how I love family photos!!! Enjoy the video of Jonah talking.  I hope you laugh as much as I did/do!!!

We hosted game night at our house tonight.  Joy, Jay, Carla, Micah, and Carla's Friend Amber come over.  Joy and Carla used my Kitchen Aid to make rolls and cinnamon rolls.  This is the second time they have come over to learn how to make them.  This time they did the whole thing from start to finish. We played Aces and Faces... a home-made adult version of Sorry.  It's our favorite game to play with friends! Over the course of the day Jonah and I have come down with a really nasty head cold.  ...Just in time for Christmas.  Oh well!

Today, while Jonah slept, Mommy got all the gifts wrapped and under the tree.  Then when Jonah woke the two of us wrapped up Daddy's presents or "Presidents" as Jonah would say.  Daddy has to go into work on the day shift tomorrow so that means by tomorrow afternoon we'll get to start our Holiday celebrations.  SO EXCITED!!!

What to say about today?  Shortly after Mom dropped Jonah off at school I received a call asking us to come and get him because he was puking.  There has been an illness going around school week and some kids are sick at home.  Jonah seems to be doing well today no problems so far.  Tanya let Ms. C know that Jonah will not be there just to make sure he isn’t sick (wink wink).  Jonah enjoyed a popsicle after school today, he almost ate the entire thing.  He continues to love to play with his new kitchen he received from Ms. Joy.  Jonah watching a movie.  Not really sure why he had this on his head, but it was there for about 15 minutes as his hat.

Our sweet little guy is closer to standing independently that I realized.  When he has his AFOs (leg braces) and his shoes on he can stand without help for a few seconds... until he realizes that he is not being supported.  At that point he quickly sits right down.  We have worked today on walking from Mommy to Daddy and back again with minimal support.  He's doing great and we have a super cute video but it doesn't want to load tonight.  Maybe it's too large to fit...?  I'll try again tomorrow.

Jonah had a few moments of mixed feelings when it came right down to dropping him off at school.  The note from his teacher says that he did FANTASTIC!  Jonah tells me he is excited for the next Family Day. 

 Tonight we had a Good-bye/Christmas party with our neighbors.  We had a great time!!  Great Food, Great Company, and Great fun!!  Thanks Ya'll for gettin' together!!! Carla and Jayden with our gifts to him.  Jonah's favorite book and a blanket Tanya made for him.   Micah with his book.   Mommy and Jonah Jonah received a snow globe as his gift!!  Tanya and I almost bought one for him too!

So, this morning Tanya had a great opportunity to have one last hurrah with the girls.  They chose to go to IHOP for breakfast this morning.  While the cat is away. . . I decided it would be a great time to get some Christmas shopping done.  I took Jonah out and had a grand time.  I even taught him that he should not tell mommy about anything we got today.  He made it almost to bed time before he spilled the beans.  But only on one thing.  I hope.  We were out for about 2.5 hours.  Jonah did not complain, whimper, or even ask for a treat.  He did ask me to hold him.  That was my sign that he was tired so we came home. Jonah and I took a nap on the couch, hoping to watch some football, but finding none.  Then I ventured out for a shopping trip to pick up some groceries. Our friend, Angela, came over for a visit.  We enjoyed some dinner together and had a great time hanging out.  We took a lot of pictures...

This morning we sent Grandma on a coast to coast trip.  She will be on the same plane for 12 hours and go from Norfolk, VA to Tampa, FL to Austin, Tx to Los Angelos, CA, then to SLC, UT.  Last I heard she was safely in CA.  It has been wonderful to have Grandma here with us and it's always hard to say goodbye.  Jonah has created a cute answer to the question, "Where did Grandma go?"  He answers, "Grandma go to the airport to fly to UT to see the Eggs Pans."  I've had a good chuckle at that! More of the same as far as Jonah's progress in healing. . . slow and steady.

Today was more of the same.  Jonah's healing is very gradual but it is improvement nonetheless.  He has enjoyed some extra snuggles with Grandma today as it's her last day here. FYI I posted pictures on yesterday's blog entry!

 Jonah is getting to feel a little bit better every day.  Today he informed us that he wanted to take his crocodile walker to the park so he could swing.  It took us a little longer to get there than his recent pre-surgery trips but he got there nonetheless.  I took some straps of fabric and literally tied him into the baby swing (it has an enclosed back but only a chain in front to hold him in).  Jonah has this new thing for wanting to go higher and higher.  Last week before surgery I introduced him to an "Under Dog" (You know where the person pushing you pushes you high enough to run under the swing).  Jonah LOVED it but it scared the life out of me when he would kick his feet in reaction to the way his tummy tickled and in doing so he would start to slide out of the seat.  So with Jonah securely strapped in we had a grand time doing many Under Dogs! Jonah had a couple firsts today.  We, Grandma Raine, Jonah, Molly a...

   Evidently our little boy is growing up.  He is doing fabulous with his potty training and seems to be feeling a little better each day.  Grandma made the suggestion that we give Jonah a try in his "Big Boy" bed so that The two of us don't have to share the couch for a 4th night.  So i carried the bed into the living room and Grandma laid a sleeping Jonah in it.  Molly promptly found herself a snugly spot and has been there ever since. 

Jonah has been in one pair of Undies, the same pair that Tanya put him in this morning!!!!!!  Most of the day was spent only on Tylenol, which took the edge off, but all Jonah wanted to do was snuggle with mommy. 

Jonah is our little timer.  Every four hours Jonah starts crying. . . in pain.  So we give him some more pain medication and he stops for another four hours.  Jonah did feel well enough to take a bath this afternoon, and then in the evening he asked if he could tubby.  He had a fun time playing with his toys (mid dose of course). This evening Joy came over and we watched The Help with her.  A recommended watch for sure.  Tanya made up a bed on the couch for her a Jonah for tonight.  A curious question, why is it when ever some one is sick they usually prefer to sleep on the couch?  Or is it that this is where they are put because it is a central spot in the house and readily accessible to almost everything?  Any way.  Jonah prefers to be held on the couch rather than being rocked.  So for now, we gear up for another day of having pain medication dictate the day.  Hopefully for the better and not the worse.

We spent a considerable amount of time in the PICU playing Starfall.com and watching children's songs on youtube on the computer.   I'm sure grateful for free wireless access!   This was last night at bed time.  Jonah LOVES to read the Christmas Story.  Daddy spent the night with Jonah in the PICU and reports that Jonah didn't get much sleep.  He was concerned that Mommy was gone and that he wanted to go home.  The orders for Jonah's pain meds were written confusing (or so we are told) and as a result the night nurse had given Jonah a full days worth of Tylenol in 8 hours.  As a result we had to stay until the afternoon to monitor that Jonah's body was going to be able to handle the overdose and so they could administer a non Tylenol related narcotic to get us through the day.  When the nurse finally told us we could dress Jonah he was ecstatic!!!  We finally coaxed a smile out of him!  He acts pretty miserable most of the t...

 So for all of you who have been anxiously waiting to hear how things are going here is a quick update.  We checked Jonah in at 10:45 then had to wait around until 2:30 before we got to talk with all the medical professionals. In the mean time we had LOADS of time to play.  I'm very glad was prompted to pick up some silly little toys at the store last night to keep Jonah entertained.    One of the toys.  Jonah liked watching it walk right off the arm of the chair.    Jonah's snowman tin.  It comes apart in 3 sections and has provided a whole lot of entertainment.   Jonah named him Snow Flake!  Snuggling with Daddy and Jonah's new puppy "Toby". When they came to get Jonah he refused to go so they brought me a white disposable suit to take him to the OR in.  We decided I looked like a snowman. At the moment Jonah has been in surgery for almost an hour.  We were told it could ta...

We had a fantastic afternoon.  Ms. C (Jonah's preschool teacher) came by to wish him luck on his big day tomorrow and to bring by some of the activities they are doing this week.  She also proposed an idea.  She would like for Dave and I to consider putting Jonah in the older kids class that meets in the afternoon.  She says that Jonah's abilities and intelligence is a better match with the older kids.  Jonah would have peers that speak and interact with him, providing him with age appropriate models.  His big area of need is his gross motor (AKA Walking) but that will come.  I think that the only draw back would be his nap time is smack dab in the middle of afternoon preschool.  I think it would be worth a try though! So tomorrow is the big day.  Jonah's check in time is 11:45am that means surgery will be early afternoon.  Thank you for all your prayers and words of support!  We'll try to keep everyone updated via this blog as th...

Today we got to enjoy the unusually warm weather by going on a little walk to collect fall things.  Leaves, pine cones, pine needles, and acorns were on the list.  Then we played with them and talked about how they felt.  Jonah really enjoyed it.  From the weather report tonight it looks like we have one last day in the 70s tomorrow then we'll start feeling like winter.  We'd better make the most of it!

 Daddy standing at attention waiting for his turn to be "Frocked" (promoted from an Airman to a Petty Officer 3rd Class).   Daddy's Commanding Officer (CO) Mr. Garcia.  He was wearing his flight suit which he jokingly called his green pajamas.  Because I took this shot my camera wasn't ready when the CO turned around and posed for the picture.  I was really bummed until Mr. Garcia got up and thanked all the families (me and 3 other ladies) for coming to support our sailors.  He said he'd be glad to speak with us all after the ceremony and take a few more pictures.   I've been really impressed with the CO any time we're at a command function he takes the time to stop and talk with us and he always inquires about Jonah and his health.  He told Dave that he will be keeping tabs on him because "You'll go places".  It's always nice to hear encouraging words! This is Angela.  She's one of our friends at...

Can you believe that on day 7 of Jonah's potty training he went was dry from 6am to 6:30pm.  That includes the pull-up he wore at nap time.  That's right one pair of undies!  We are so impressed and proud.  On a couple if occasions today he has even recognized the need before he heard the timer. Grandma and Mommy attended church today while Daddy stayed home with Jonah.  We are all staying healthy and Jonah is on track for getting his surgery on Thursday.  Daddy and a neighbor gave Jonah a beautiful blessing and we have faith that Jonah will come through surgery with flying colors and return home quickly.

Bummer!!! David had to work today so he didn't get to spend much time at home with us.  We ventured out today to pick up some vinyl so my mom and I could play with my Cricket some more.  We had fun playing.  The funny moment of the day came when Jonah tried some dog food.  He quickly spat it out and let it alone.  We did make a broom for Frosty this morning.  Grandma brought a  crocheted snowman that fits over a roll of toilet paper.  Jonah was very concerned that he had a snowman without a broom stick.  How was he going to sweep the street? Jonah has done well with potty training today.  He has only gone through four pair of undies!!!

Tonight was Daddy's work Christmas Party.  This is us just before it was time to leave.  We sure appreciate having Grandma Raine here to look after Jonah for us.  She reports that he did great until it was bedtime and all he wanted was Mommy..  As for Mommy and Daddy we had a fantastic time.

So Jonah had a better day with his undies.  Only 4 pairs!  The only thing is that he's not recognizing when it's time to go... hopefully with time! My awe moment today:  Jonah crawled over to me this morning after we'd finished preschool and asked to get up on my lap.  He gave me a huge hug then pulled back and said, "Thank you for Mommy Preschool!"  Then he gave me a kiss on the cheek.  It melted my heart! Grandma Rain had an extra 2 hours on her layover but otherwise it was an uneventful flight!  So glad she's here.

Today was a day of trudging.  Just trudging on in the process of potty training.  Today was much the same as yesterday the only difference was that Jonah was able to go 30 minutes between each trip to the potty. Jonah is still in good health (knock on wood).  He is still enjoying Mommy Preschool and isn't fighting us too much on going to the bathroom!

Today marks day 2 of serious potty training at the Layne household.  Jonah has made amazing progress!  He went from 11 accidents yesterday to 5 today.  By this afternoon he was able to tell us that he needed to pee and so long as we were quick about it he would pee in the potty!!!  It was amazing to see the light come on and to see him start to recognize the sensation.  He is really enjoying mommy preschool and the fun stuff we do.  He still mentions his friends at school and that he misses them.  With any lick he'll be to school for a week or more before they start Christmas break.

Jonah did great with our first day of Mommy Preschool.  He really enjoyed doing the snowman activities and calendar time.  In fact we had to do calendar time 5 or 6 times though out the day.  We did 12 hours of potty training and all in all he did very well.  At he end of the day he had 1 pair of dry undies left in the drawer so that's a plus.  Maybe tomorrow he'll have 2 dry pair.  Tomorrow I'm going to chart out his feeds and his urination to see how they correlate.  By the end of the day I was seeing a definite pattern.

Jonah's Shiny hat.  Made of tinfoil.  We had fun this morning. Jonah gave us quite the treat this morning.  He slept until 8 am.  What a delight to wake up to silence this morning.  I woke up Tanya and to her surprise. . . silence.  She said the morning must have been quiet enough that Jonah could sleep. Tanya started putting up her Pre-school stuff today as we will be keeping Jonah home for two weeks and don't want him to fall behind in his progress.  Some of her goals for Jonah while he is home:  Potty training, dressing himself, more oral stimulation, and some listening skills.  Jonah struggles with transitions.  Enjoy the video of Jonah hopping.

 It has been a fantastic day.  We had a big breakfast then got to work on cleaning out a corner for the Christmas Tree. Jonah enjoyed pushing the giant tote we store the tree in across the floor.  He also got a kick out of helping Daddy vacuum the floor. Jonah did well with helping "Fluff" the tree.  Amid the tree construction Jonah suddenly yells, "I need to Fluff my toenails!" while lifting his foot.  We all had good laugh at that one. The finished product Our cutie pie with bells on his ears!  It was the only way we could get him to hold still long enough to take the pic. Since it is Saturday Daddy and Jonah enjoyed some college football.  They also enjoyed some Sesame Street.  Love this video.  Jonah LOVES to sing!

 So, today we spent the day inside recovering from our over indulgence of food.  Jonah took a huge 2.5 hour nap.  I asked him if he was getting sick or growing?  He said, "Growing."  Molly got a bath and a hair cut while we had our friend Jeneah over.  She took great pleasure in accessorizing Molly.  The head band look!  The piggy tail look.  A closer look.  The unicorn look Molly's "Messy Buns" Molly was very patient throughout the whole process.  She seemed to enjoy the attention she got from all of us.  It's always fun to have Jeneah around!