Christmas Celebration at the Beach Waterpark

Jaime and Christoff have been in town visiting...we decided to all go visit the Christmas celebration at the Beach Waterpark. We had an unseasonably warm night, which made the visit even better. Christoff had a blast going down the slide with Uncle Brad, petting the horse, riding the merry-go-round and "motorcycle". We ate funnel cake and nachos and the boys got their picture with Santa. Joey was such a good sport and fell asleep like a little angel by the end of the night. What a great memory!

Extended Meyer Family Christmas

This past weekend, we went to the annual "Extended" Meyer Family Christmas get together. It was at 6:30 in the evening (Joey's bedtime is between 7-7:30)...so Joey is very sleepy and not very smiley for the occasion. But, we had to be there because there was a surprise visit from Santa (Uncle Clark) and he had to sit on his lap. Check out Joey examining "Santa".

Update on Joey #3

Well, this entire molding helmet decision has been one that Brad and I have gone back and forth on. With the Plastic Surgeon leaving the decision up to us (due to his mild case), we went back and forth and really struggled with doing it. We decided to ask the final opinion of our pediatrician (who we really like and trust)...so during Joey's 6 month visit, the pediatrician did his measurements and gave us his "final analysis"...his verdict "I wouldn't do it". Basically, Joey's flatness is so mild that he said that if he were to see him today, he would have never suggested seeing the Plagiocephely clinic at all. He said the only reason he referred us when he was so little is because you don't know how severe the case can become. And, fortunately, since Joey has become a belly sleeper, there has been and should be no worsening, but improvement (according to the doc). Nevertheless, we still struggled with the decision and realized we have to have a united front in tackling the problem....so we decided to hold off on the helmet. We prayed for this night after night and thankfully God listened.

Our First Snowfall

We woke up Wednesday morning to a winter wonderland. We got about 2 inches of snow and are expecting a little more tonight. These are some photos from outside our kitchen windows. Enjoy

Christmas Parade

This weekend my mom and I took Joey to the local Christmas Parade & Festival. It was quite cold, so we bundled the little guy up, and took our place along the parade route. He was an angel...he sat in his stroller as snug as a bug and just watched the passing paraders. This will have to become a Christmas tradition in the Meyer household.

Joey meets Santa!

We took Joey to meet Santa a couple of weeks ago...he was amazed at that bearded fella'. We didn't know how he would react, but as soon as we handed him to Santa Claus he wrapped his hand around his finger and just gazed! We'll see how he does next year, huh!

Joey's 6 Month Pictures

Can you believe the little guy is already 6 months old (he's actually closer to 7 months by now)! At our last doctor's visit he weighed in at 22.2 lbs. and was 29.5 inches long....above the 97th percentile for his age. As the doctor puts it, "he's a big boy!" We got his pictures taken, but this time around we struggled for the smile shot. Blame it on mom...I scheduled his pics for 4pm...had to wake him from a nap and he was due to eat...needless to say he was not a happy camper, but nonetheless we got some awesome shots (even through the tears). Enjoy!

The TOOTH!

Joey has been chewing and drooling for a while now; and with his recent middle of the night crying fits (he typically sleeps 11-12 hours a night without waking), we knew that "Mr. Tooth" was trying to make an entrance. Well, yesterday morning I swiped my finger over his bottom gum and what did I feel, but a sharp little tooth making it's way into the world. Our little boy is growing up!

O' Christmas Tree

Saturday was "Decorate for Christmas Day"...I love the holiday season and there is nothing like sipping a glass of bubbly while Christmas music echoes in the background and decorating the house. Joey loved the lights on the Christmas tree and was sitting in his bouncer just giggling the entire time. Clark, Shelley, and Jillian joined us later that evening for dinner and to watch the UC game. These are the days....

Thanksgiving 2007

Wow, we have so much to be thankful for this year. We have a strong marriage, a healthy and happy son, a roof over our head, clothes on our back, a family that we love and loves us, and God in our lives!!! On Joey's first Thanksgiving we enjoyed a relaxing morning, eating delicious Monkey Bread (my Aunt Fay's recipe...so yummy!), watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (which was more exciting as we visited the infamous Macy's at our recent trip to NYC...it was crazy!!!), baking pies, and after lunch we headed to Aunt Kate's for a Meyer family Thanksgiving (Joey got to visit with his cousins---4 born in the family from April to August). What a great day it was.

Are they cute or what???

I just love these guys....and to see them in their matching Sunday wear is priceless.

Update on Joey #2

Well, we had our appointment with the plagiocephaly doctor this morning... and all in all the news was good. Joey's form of plagiocephaly is considered mild (great news) and it is up to us if we want to push forward with the molding helmet to correct what we can (frustrating...we were hoping a definite answer would come from the doc) or not. Since Joey's flattening is getting better the Dr. said that chances are it's going to continue to do so; however, he would probably still have a little flattening on the side, but as his hair grows in, it would become less and less noticeable. But, if we do the molding helmet for a few months, we should see a nice rounding of his head, which would be even less noticeable as he gets older. Our final decision is to get the helmet; we definitely want to do all we can for the little guy now versus having him struggle with self-image issues as an adolescent. He has his scan appointment on the 5th of December and we should have his helmet a week or so after that. I'll keep you posted.

Update on Joey

Well, many of you may or may not know, but Joey has a slight case of Plagiocephely. The word sounds a lot worse than it actually is, thank God...basically he has a flat spot on his right side of his head. The flatness was caused by a condition called Torticollis, which he probably received either in the womb (being so big and wedged in my tummy) or during delivery (again big head=hard to pull through the incision of my C-section...a little tense time during delivery)...this condition is Torticollis, which is a tightening of his neck muscles on the left side of his neck. Due to the tightness of the muscles, he has always favored the right side of his head and "voila"...a flat spot.
Thankfully, this is not life threatening, nor is it unfixable (is that a word???). We have an appointment with the Plagiocephely clinic on November 19th and we'll find out what the next step will be. More than likely, he'll have a corrective helmet/band that he'll have to wear for a while to allow his head to "pop back out!"
We are so thankful to God and to Joey's pediatrician and physical therapist for being so on top of the game....AND that his case is a relative mild one. We'll keep everyone updated as to his prognosis after his appointment on the 19th.
Say a little prayer for our little guy....

My two guys...

Am I blessed, or what?????

Brad's wedding present...a year & a half later

Our first Christmas together, 8 years ago, Brad surprised me with a hot air balloon ride. Well, we never took it...actually just forgot about it. So, as his wedding gift, I purchased a new ride for him. As you know, Joey came along a month and a half or so after the wedding...so we finally got around to taking the ride Monday night. I was a little nervous (not the best flier), but once we were up there it was awesome...and our landing was so smooth, that it makes me want to take another. We'll see...maybe we'll take a family ride once Joey is older.

Joey's First Halloween

We had a great time celebrating Halloween with Joey. Our little guy was none other than a "joey"...a baby kangaroo. At first he hated the costume, but by the end of the night he was snug as a bug and fell fast asleep. So precious...