Cornehl Haus

Splish, Splash!

2010-05-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

It was HOT today! We decided it was finally warm enough to fill up the pool for Jackson! He was SO excited to splash around in the water, begging Mommy time and time again to "swim" with him!

Weston joined us outside in a make-shift shaded contraption... the Pack 'n Play, bouncy seat inside (he really isn't comfortable laying flat these days - darn reflux!) with a blanket to keep out the sun. He seemed to enjoy the fresh air - at least until it was time to eat!

An Afternoon of Fun: Jackson & Mommy

2010-05-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

Before I went back to work, I wanted to spend at least one day with just Jackson. So, luckily, Audrey was more than willing to watch Weston for the day while Jackson and I spent the day together.

I had decided to take Jackson to the Dallas Arboretum to see the Peter Rabbit Flower Village exhibit. Of course, when we woke up that morning, rain was in the forecast! Since the skys looked fairly good in the morning, we decided to risk it. The skys looked great... UNTIL we were five minutes away from the Arboretum. We really only got to spend about thirty minutes walking around before it started raining. Jackson was having a blast!

When it started to rain, we tried to wait it out, eating lunch under a covered patio. But, unfortunately, the rain was getting worse, not better. So, we decided to find something else to do. Boo! We ended up at Chuck E. Cheese, which of course, was just fine with Jackson. I have to admit I was a little bummed out about - I just wanted to do something a little more fun! We got a rain check for the Arboretum and plan on visiting again very soon!

The Duck house @ the Peter Rabbit Flower Village

Jackson LOVED the frog fountain. He laughed and laughed at those "big frogs spitting water!"

He was in awe!

He had so much fun screaming and giggling as he ran underneath the water streams. Note that he is bending down to go under the arches - I didn't even have to bend! Too funny!

Rub-a-Dub-Dub!

2010-05-18T20:00:00.001-07:00

Fun Day Sunday!

2010-05-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

We had a great day as a family on Sunday with errands and lots of fun! First we ran a few errands and Mommy was THRILLED to get a Moby wrap for Weston. It is super comfy and what's better, Weston LOVES it. He took to it and it kept him calm and cry free for hours at a time. It keeps him sitting up, which is much more comfortable for him and his reflux. Because he doesn't like to be put down, it also allows Mommy to get a few things done while holding him - love it!!!

After our errands we headed to Barnes & Noble to grab a few books for the boys. Jackson picked out a fire truck book and we got a bed time picture book for Weston. Then, we headed to the train playground at Firewheel - one of Jackson's favorites. He had a great time playing! He sure makes fast friends!

Weston had a good time outside too! After we stripped him down to just a onsie, he had fun coo-ing and practicing using his leg muscles! He is growing so FAST!!!

It was super muggy and hot out, but there was no slowing Jackson down! He absolutely loves the train playground at Firewheel!

Cheese!!! When we ask Jackson to smile for the camera now, this is what we get. A little over the top, much?!?

Dinner on the Patio

2010-05-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

We had dinner outside on the backyard patio tonight. Jackson cracked me up the entire dinner long. He has a strange phobia of spiders, so we talked about them all dinner long. I can't tell you the number of times he told me that spiders have eight legs! After dinner Jackson and Daddy had a great time playing soccer and catch. Weston LOVED being outside as well. For the first time in days, he seemed calm and comfortable! I think he really loves being in the Baby Bjorn - maybe it feels good to be upright, relieving some of the pain from his reflux!

Another Day of Doctors

2010-05-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it was another day of doctor visits for the Cornehl boys! We had a post-op follow up visit for Weston at the pediatrician in the morning and a check up at the pulmonologist for Jackson in the afternoon.

First off, at Weston's visit, he weighed in at 12lbs, 15.5 ounces!!! That is almost 13 pounds people - that is crazy!!! Jackson was 13lbs, 3oz at two months - not 6 weeks. What a blessing that Weston is growing so much considering all he has gone through in his short life. Weston's incision looks great and he is healing nicely. Because Weston's reflux is still causing a lot of discomfort and TONS of spit up at home, we took the chance to talk to Dr. Smart about it at our follow-up. She gave us a few more things to do to try and help with the problem, we are now thickening the breast milk (same thing we did for Jackson's aspiration) on bad reflux days to help keep some of it down. Also, we are giving him gas drops at every meal to try and help. I am researching some different types of reflux wedges for Weston to sleep and rest on to try and help ease his discomfort. He is most uncomfortable when he lays flat and most comfortable when he is in the upright position. Hopefully his reflux will get better with time, but if not, we will cross that bridge with the same vengeance we have with everything else!

Jackson's visit with Dr. Mandujano, his pulmonologist, also went great! He is now 35 pounds and just under 3 feet tall. What a big boy! Because Jackson has been doing so well, we are going to get to cut back on Jackson's daily asthma medication starting the beginning of June. Also, we are taking him off of his prevacid with hopes that Jackson's reflux is now under control. We will have to watch for signs of discomfort (regurgitation, coughing, wheezing, etc.), but hopefully this is it. We are down to TWO medications a day - can you believe it? We remember when we were excited about 6!

We are so happy that we have such wonderful medical care for both of our boys. These doctors feel like an extension of our family now and it is such a blessing that we feel so comfortable with all of them!

Unexpected Turn

2010-05-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

Some of you already know, but the Upper GI we had scheduled for Weston on Friday, April 30th did not turn out the way we expected. We thought we would go in for the same test Jackson had and find out that we might have a severe case of reflux and possibly a case of aspiration. We had no way of anticipating the news we received that day.

The x-rays showed that there was a problem with Weston's anatomy, a problem with his small intestines. He has what we now know is called a malrotation which resulted in a volvulus (those with medical knowledge reading this - have pity on me! I am just learning and may not explain this all correctly). Basically what that means is that Weston's intestines did not rotate completely like they should have, leaving them free to move around in his abdomen. When that happens, the intestines have the chance to twist and cause problems such as vomiting, and worse case, a complete bowel obstruction.

We, thankfully, caught this early before Weston became very ill. This, and reflux, was the reason that Weston has not been able to keep his food down and eating non-stop. Apparently, most of the time, by the time this condition presents itself, babies are severely dehydrated and quickly loosing weight. But because our pediatrician was so aggressive with Weston, we caught it before any of that happened.

We found out this information late Friday afternoon and by Friday night we were admitted into the hospital and Weston was scheduled for surgery the very next morning. It was a whirlwind and we did not really have the time to process it all. In fact, Friday night the doctors were talking to us about doing a laproscopic procedure, but by Saturday morning, we found out that a more invasive procedure was going to be done. They ended up going in for exploratory surgery, completing a LADDS procedure and an appendectomy. We were blown away when they told us all of this!

At first we were frustrated and angry with God about all of this, and sad to admit, we were in a place of self-pity. Hadn't we gone through enough with Jackson?!? But then we thought about it and prayed. Truly, had we not gone through what we had with Jackson, our pediatrician would not have been so aggressive and we could have found ourselves in a more serious situation. Also, we are very comfortable with the staff and medical world, which is due to our experiences with Jackson as well. So, it was a blessing that we had the preparation to handle this. Moreover, thanks be to God that he has blessed so many wonderful doctors with the knowledge and skill to be able to fix and heal our sweet precious son.

We were in the hospital for five days with Weston. He healed quickly and basically with no complications. We did have a hard time keeping an IV in and it was horrific watching them stick him over and over again to try to get one in - but all in all, it was a great experience that went off without a hitch. It was hard to watch him be so hungry and not be able to feed him, but I did finally get ahead with pumping which I had been trying to do for quite sometime.

I know it seems strange to photograph Weston in this state, but I feel it is important to document this event in his life. Although he was "hooked up" while he was there, he really started to look healthier than he ever had and he finally started to "chunk" up.

We want to say thank you for all of our wonderful family and friends who really stepped up and showed us so much support through all of this. We could NOT have gotten through all of this without you and your prayers. Poor Jackson's little world has completely been swept out from under him, but thanks to our family, they were there to catch him during all of this.

Weston is doing just fine now and returned home without needing to be on any other medication besides his Prevacid for reflux. What a blessing. Again, thank you so much for all of your prayers!!!

Weston is 4 Weeks Old!

2010-04-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

Though Weston won't be officially one month old until Saturday, he is 4 weeks old today! We cannot believe its already been FOUR weeks! It seems like just yesterday we were in the hospital, awaiting Weston's arrival.

Though he hasn't really started "fattening" up yet, he does seem to getting longer by the day. We are still struggling with Weston's reflux. Unfortunately, the spit-ups are seeming more like throw-ups these days. We called the Dr. about it on Wednesday of this week and she has us set up to go have an Upper GI done tomorrow. While we were a little down that it looks like we might be going down the same road we did with Jackson, we are just thankful that we will get it all figured out soon!

Doesn't he look just like his Daddy?

What a sweet smile!

Jackson absolutely loves his baby brother!

Having a Swinging Time

2010-04-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

Weston is enjoying the larger swing these days! Although he isn't quite big enough for it yet, it does prop him up quite a bit, which helps his reflux. Speaking of reflux, because it was seeming to get worse and not better with the prescribed Zantac, the pediatrician decided to switch him over to Prevacid. That is exactly what his big brother takes as well. Hopefully this will make a difference because we are starting to go through bibs like candy!

Jarrod & Ernesto Visit

2010-04-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

We always have such a fabulous time when Jarrod & Ernesto come to visit. This visit was particularly exciting because they got to meet our dear, sweet Weston! Trenton, J&E made scrumptious food and we all overate the entire week long! Jackson couldn't have been happier to have them here - two more big guys to play with!

Here are a few pictures that Ernesto took of the boys while he was here. Enjoy! And thank you, Jarrod and Ernesto for coming to visit!

Watch Me Grow!

2010-04-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

The angles are talking to him - what a sweet smile!!!

Cars, Cars, Cars!

2010-04-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

Jackson's toy(s) of the week are all of his cars. This week, for some reason, he insists upon bringing one of his playroom chairs into the TV room and setting up shop on the coffee table. Vrrrrmmm!

Daddy & Jackson Feed Weston

2010-04-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

Trenton had the chance to feed Weston for the first time today, with a little help of course! Jackson could not wait for the chance to hold the bottle all by himself. He did NOT want his Daddy to help him. He was so excited about it he practically shoved the entire bottle in Weston's mouth. We are still working on being "gentle"!

Heading Out For My First Walk

2010-04-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

We took Weston out for his first walk today. It was pretty slow considering I am still recovering and Jackson couldn't decide if he wanted to ride his tricycle or walk. Weston slept through the entire walk - yea! So once we get a two-kiddo stroller, we should be able to take nice long family walks!

Snuggling with Daddy

2010-04-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

Davey, Davey Crockett...Errr, a Super Hero?!?

2010-04-07T07:06:00.000-07:00

Davey, Davey Crockett! Jackson loves to dress up and pretend he is all sorts of characters. This day he said he was a super hero. Who knew a Davey Crockett hat, bandana and Boppy pillow had such super powers?!?

Note JCC's black eye - a run in with the slide!

"Up, up and away!!!"

Double Doctor Visit

2010-04-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

We had our first double Dr. visit experience today. Weston had his 2 week check-up and Jackson had an eczema flare up. The visit went well overall!

Dr. Smart gave us some medication to help with Jackson's eczema which has really seemed to help. The flare up is most likely due to the increased pollen count this year. Pretty flowers = itchy child!

Weston is right on par with his growth. We also had a chance to talk to Dr. Smart about Weston's projectile spit-up. She went ahead and put him on Zantac, which should help with all that spit up and fussiness.

Here are Weston's stats @ 2 weeks of age:

Weight: 7lbs. 15.5 ounces

Height: 21.5 inches

Head: 37.5cm

A little brother lovin' after the appointment! Aren't they such sweeties!?!

Weston's First Bath

2010-04-05T19:55:00.000-07:00

Weston had his first bath today! While he loved the water running on his head, he wasn't too fond of anything else! But he sure smelled sweet when we were through!

"The water feels so good!"

"Jackson helped Daddy put lotion on and dry me off!"

All clean and relaxed!

Bouncy Seat First

2010-04-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

Enjoying my bouncy seat for the first time. It comes highly recommended, my older brother loved it when he was a baby!!!

Easter Madness

2010-04-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

Easter this year was crazy! For some reason, I felt that it was absolutely neccesary for me to be home by Easter morning to be there for Jackson. So, even though I should have stayed in the hospital one more day (and almost came home without pain meds - apparantly pharmacies close for the Easter holiday - yikes!), Weston and I arrived home from the hospital around 9:30pm Easter eve.

I am not sure why I thought my presence was so important or would even be worth it. I was drugged and in pain, so the only part of the day I took part in was watching Jackson hunting eggs - from the couch!!! Oh well...

Thanks to Daddy and Grammy, Jackson got all dressed up and handsome for church (my nephew, Andrew and I apparantly have the same taste as he picked out the same suit for himself as I did for Jackson!). He went to church with Grandma and Paca and had a grand time. He sang loudly during the service and had a wonderful time hunting eggs with his cousins... well sort of hunting. Apparantly Jackson was quite picky with the eggs, picking each one up and opening it to evaluate its contents. If the contents were deemed "worthy," Jackson took it, if not, he tossed it aside! Too funny!

Thank you to all of my family members and husband who pulled off Easter lunch at our house while Weston and I were sleeping! Since it rained, the Easter bunny hid eggs upstairs. Weston and I made a short appearance for the hunt. The kids looked adorable!

The day was a ton of fun for Jackson, a lot of work for Trenton and a blur for me. It was a blessing to be home with our new addition and to have all of our family there to enjoy the day!

Jackson's New Sandbox

2010-04-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

While Mommy and Daddy were still in the hospital with Weston, all the grandparents really stepped up to take care of Jackson. Opa and Oma spent Saturday morning with JCC and gave him an early Easter gift-a sand box!!! Jackson loves it!!! Thank you Oma & Opa!

Fun Times with Grammy & Pawpaw

2010-04-02T19:33:00.000-07:00

Jackson had fun with Grammy and Pawpaw while Mommy, Daddy and Weston were still in the hospital. He went to the park, played outside and even talked them into taking him back to Chuck E. Cheese's!

Welcome Weston!

2010-04-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce the birth of our second son, Weston Clark Cornehl!

Birthdate: April 1st, 2010

Weight: 7 pounds, 11 ounces

Length: 20.5 inches

For more pics, click on the following link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amandacornehl/sets/72157623833173424/show/

Last Day as an Only Child

2010-03-31T14:54:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Jackson's last day as an only child, we decided to have a day-long celebration. We began the day with a trip to the Build-a-Bear workshop where JCC made a Buzz Light Year bear for himself and a bunny to give to Weston at the hospital. Thank goodness Audrey was there and we went first thing when the store was empty! Jackson was a mad man, running from one display to the next!

Then we visited one of Jackson's favorite playgrounds and finished off the morning with Jacksie's favorite cookies from the Nestle store - chocolate chip! I might have let him have one too many since our nap was pretty much non-existent that afternoon! Once Daddy was off work, we took Jackson to Chuck E Cheese's! I think we might have created a monster - he LOVED it and asks to go back daily now!

The day was a ton of fun and filled with emotion. We couldn't believe that we were putting down one child for bed that night and would have two the very next day. I couldn't help but sneak into Jackson's room and into bed with him for a bit after he had fallen asleep. Even though he looks so old now, when he sleeps, its like looking back in time - those cheeks smushed on the pillow remind me of the fullness of his face when he was first born. How time flies!!!

A Little Easter Fun!

2010-03-30T19:53:00.001-07:00

Jackson, Mommy and Daddy had a great time tonight dying Easter eggs! To be honest, Jackson enjoyed playing in the dye, stirring it over and over again, rather than actually dying the eggs. But all in all, he had a great time!

Weston's Nursery Reveal

2010-03-20T20:35:00.001-07:00

After a long break from the blog, we are ready to get back into it with the reveal of Weston's new nursery!!! We have been working hard this spring break to get it all done. And while there is always more that Mommy can think to add, this will have to do for now! Mommy's sewing fingers are about to break off!

Mommy is getting bigger by the day and even starting to have contractions. Weston may be here sooner rather than later to enjoy his new living quarters. Of course, he may, to his mother's dismay hang on until the bitter end!

Jackson helped unpack and put away all of his old baby toys. We can't decide if it is a good or bad thing that he knows where they all are considering everytime he goes into the nursery he takes them all out!

Enjoy the pics of the nursery and check back more often these days as we WILL be posting more frequently - WE PROMISE!!!

Sick... again!

2009-09-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

The past two years of Jackson's life have been a roller coaster to say the least! Even though we have a very happy and beautiful child, little man has had a rough road health wise. When he was three months old, he contracted RSV, a pretty typical childhood virus for daycare babies. Basically a really bad chest cold, it causes a ton of respiratory problems and leaves the lungs more susceptible to asthma, etc.

Well, after months and months of Jackson being sick, and using the nebulizer and steroids daily it seemed, the doctor thought we should take some action. We had tubes put in and adenoids taken out in December of 08, which was supposed to keep the infections down, thus alleviating his respiratory symptoms. Unfortunately, though he hasn't had an ear infection since, it did nothing to stop the on going infections and respiratory problems.

We were so frustrated!!! We finally decided to visit a pediatric pulmonologist, and we could not have been more relieved. Not only did we find a doctor who was aggressive, but we found one who wanted to leave no stone unturned. After diagnosing him with severe asthma, he also had a battery of tests run. All of which revealed that not only was his asthma bad, but he was also aspirating his liquids directly into his lungs and he has reflux!!!

Once we had all of that diagnosed and we were finally treating the right things, we thought Jackson would finally turn over a new leaf and he would learn how it feels to be well! Once again, we hit a road block - we just could not stop the on-going infections. And every time he had an infection we found ourselves in respiratory duress and Jackson taking more medications than can be counted on two hands. Just as we would finish one treatment plan, two days later he would contract something else.

This past June, they decided it was about time to take a more invasive look at what was going on with Mr. Jackson. They put him under to complete a bronchoscopy, pH probe and sinus CT. Not only did we find out Jackson's reflux was worse than expected, but we also learned that the sinus cavity behind Jackson's left cheek was completely filled and infected with the right sinus not far behind. There was just too much infection to fight with the antibiotics and steroids we had been using. They decided to put in a picc line and give him 28 days of a heavy duty antibiotic, rocephin. By the end of July, we finally had Jackson well, for the first time - EVER!!! We were relieved.

The relief, unfortunately, was short lived. Just three short days after Jackson returned to school, he came home with a stomach bug and fever. Then the next week brought snot. After that only lasted a few days, we thought Jackson's system was finally able to handle a normal cold. Then a few days later, more and more snot! After about ten days, we took the dreaded trip to the pediatrician, where we were sure she would tell us that he has yet again, another sinus infection. And in fact, she did diagnose a sinus infection and put him on 21 days of antibiotics.

She gave us a huge warning that this season already, she has seen more kids than ever. She urged us to take Jackson out of daycare, for fear that his system will not be able to handle the cold/flu season this year. Basically, what she did was scare us to death!!!

Of course, Jackson waits to get sick until Trenton is scheduled to leave for a business trip. He was feeling much better and the fever had finally subsided by Wed. Trenton came home Thursday night to find a much healthier, yet stir crazy, son at home. Since we had our first sonogram scheduled for Friday morning, we decided that we would drop off Jackson at daycare for just a few short hours - sort of a test run. After just a few short hours, we got a phone call from school... Jackson was throwing up!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?We got him home and a fever reappeared, so surely caught some sort of bug.

Though the throwing up was short lived, he just wasn't himself and we had to stop the antibiotic for a day. He is on his way back up again, but who knows how long this will last. We have no other choice financially right now than to send him back to school - but both Trenton and I agree something has to change. Lets just hope we can keep him healthy enough while we figure out an alternative to daycare!!! Prayers are welcome!

Big Brother

2009-09-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

Though some of you already know, we are happy to announce that we are adding another edition to the Cornehl family. A new baby is to arrive somewhere around April the 10th. Since it will be a scheduled c-section, he/she will come slightly before then!

Telling Trenton was so much fun this time because I got to incorporate Jackson in everything... though, as is my life, nothing ever goes quite as smoothly as planned. I know it is suprising, but I do become a little obsessed with things, so when I knew the possibility of pregnancy was in the horizon, I couldn't resist taking one pregnancy test after another. Which, of course, when you take them too early, come up negative. After going through about three tests already, I found myself in an emotional mess. I had one last test to take, but I went in with very low hope. After the dreaded three minutes... there it was, a VERY, VERY faint second line. Was it just my hopeful eyes, or was there truly a second line?

Apprehensive, but excited, I ran to gather the "Big Brother" t-shirt I had made for Jackson in the weeks prior. Only, I was too afraid to actually put him in the darn thing in fear I might jinx myself!!! So, I took Jackson and the t-shirt to Trenton. Sadly and pathetically, I told Trenton that I thought maybe Jackson could wear this precious shirt.

Trenton was thrilled, but just as sceptical of that faint line as I was. We agreed not to tell a sole, or let Jackson wear that shirt, until we had confirmation. We promptly went out and purchased MORE pregnancy tests, different brands of course! Well... after FIVE faint lines, we decided it had to be a sign. Pathetic, right?!?

Shortly after, nausea and fatigue set in leaving me no question whatsoever! We are pregnant and couldn't be more thrilled to have a sibling for Jackson and another baby bringing love to the Cornehl Haus!

We Are Finally Here!

2009-09-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

Well... finally, we decided it was about time to start a family blog. During our first pregnancy with Jackson, we had a great little website, where I am pretty sure we shared more than enough information. After life brought a lot of changes, a move from Lubbock to Rockwall and two new jobs, the website quickly deteriorated. In the meantime, we've not had the opportunity to keep in touch with friends and family like we would like. SO - this is our second attempt at that, and hopefully a little less time intensive! Enjoy and happy reading!