Well, we made it to Colorado and back safely. It was so great to travel this weekend to such a beautiful place and to see family. Daven was such a rock star on the trip. He traveled well, played well with cousin Tia and was such a hit with all the family. This picture was taken about 30 miles away from Auntie Alowetta’s house. Yes, we were actually here! Such an amazing sight to see!

Everyone was thrilled with how he has grown over the past few months. I guess being with him on a daily basis, I don’t see as much of a change as they did. It was nice to show him off and brag about how he is growing and improving.

Here we are on the way up to Colorado and we happened to see a few “Moo-Cows” next to our bathroom break stop. So, we walked over to see the cows. Daven LOVED watching them and listening to them call out. However, when we got back in the car and started driving again, tears began to roll down his face. My little man is just so full of allergies and cows seem to be one of the biggest one. No milk and now apparently we won’t even be able to take him to a petting zoo any time soon. (Do they have “moo-cows” at petting zoos? Any who…)

Here is Uncle Marc loving on Daven and watching TV. I am sure it is some sort of sporting event whether that may be Basketball or NASCAR Racing, we will never know. Everyone wanted to get in their fair-share of Daven loves! And I was happy to let them.

Daven also still LOVES Cousin Tia. We even got them in the bath together. (only G rated pictures of course!) GranZ and PapaT were also enjoying their time with the grandkids. Here they are playing with the two of them and you can see that all four are having the time of their lives!

Overall, it was a great trip! We made it home just in time to do a few loads of laundry and pack again. Tomorrow we are headed east to ♪ OOOO-klahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain ♪. Auntie Shayla is graduating with her Physical Therapy degree. YAY! Way too go Shayla, we are so proud of you. And who knows…maybe someday you can be Daven’s official Physical Therapist. ;-)

So, off to Boomer Sooner land we go. I will take tons of pictures (way too many to share all of them I am sure!) and be sure to give you a full update when we return. As great as Daven did this past weekend, I am sure he will do just as great in Oklahoma! Now my only concern is getting caught up in a tornado. Yikes.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

We are off! I thought the day would never come; but bright and early tomorrow morning, GranZ, PapaT, Daven and I (leaving Logan in the New Mexico dust) are heading towards Colorado. I will be attending the third graduation within two weeks. Whew! One graduation a year is enough, none-the-less four within three weeks. I should be entitled to an “Honorary Degree” or something.

Trust, that I will be taking tons of pictures to share with you when we return. I will be back on Tuesday, just in time to unpack and repack to head towards Oklahoma on Wednesday for the fourth and final graduation. (I expect to receive my Honorary Degree there.) So, Daven and I will be on the road a lot the next few days, but the destinations will be worth all the time in the car. Thank goodness for portable DVD players! ;-)

I hope everyone has a fabulous LONG weekend. I hope you put some shrimp on the barbe, and chase it down with a cold drink. (lemonade of course)

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY everybody! LOVE LOVE LOVE

Maybe it is the fact that Logan and I are coming up on our 5 year anniversary (a month away), maybe the fact that Daven is already almost 17 months old; not sure exactly what it is…but I have been reminiscing in my head a lot this week.

So, I thought I would relive the past 5 years of my life with you. Only the cliff notes of course! So here we go from the start…

Once upon a time back in November of 1979 I decided to make my GRAND arrival. Okay wait, I just said the past 5 years not the past 26 years. HA! Got you going there for a minute.

Logan and I were an instant match, it was love from the start. As Autumn will tell you, she knew he was the one for me on our first date. We immediately started planning the wedding of the century! Other than the occasional mishaps, the day was perfect! (And by mishap I mean no air conditioning for a June wedding, but eh…who needed to breath? I wasn’t!)

Once Logan was done with school and we had gotten settled in at Clovis, we thought it was time to think about starting a family. WHOA, that happened fast. Within one month, we found out that I was pregnant. Our precious baby was on the way! We eventually found out that IT’S A BOY! Daven Tate was going to be here around Christmas time. Knowing that he would never forgive me for giving him a Christmas birthday, I was hoping for any day…but Christmas day.

He finally came! December 28, 2004 our precious baby boy was finally here. So itty bitty was he. Tall and skinny like his daddy. (5 lbs 14 oz and 20 in long) Here we are about 20 minutes after he arrived.

Our life as knew it was completely different. We found out very soon that babies are a lot of work. And Daven seemed to be a little more work than other babies. He wasn’t happy and had colic so terribly bad. Here he is at 3 months.

The time seemed to creep by. Daven was already 6 months old, but not holding his head up. I started to get very concerned. We signed him up for some Physical Therapy to help him get stronger. Meanwhile, Daven did start smiling finally!

After we went for his 9 month check up, the doctor knew by his weight and developmental delay that something was wrong. We began testing immediately. Blood work, MRI, ultrasound, so many tests. Daven was such a trooper through it all. The doctor ended up calling a Genetic Specialist and he said it sounded like Williams Syndrome. We both shook our heads and said Williams Syndrome? What in the world is that? So many questions, so many concerns, and so much that we didn’t know. Once we got to see the pictures and do the research, we knew instantly our precious boy had WS. After we took the blood test to confirm it, we got the call on November 16...it was official Daven Tate Marshall was diagnosed with WS.

It was a few months of roller coaster emotions. Our life was never going to be what we had envisioned it. The days seemed to be so dark and lonely. It was so hard to wrap your mind around the situation and carry on with life at the same time.

BUT, here we are almost 7 months after the diagnosis and the world continues to turn, the sun still comes up every morning, and my family is still the most important thing in my life. Days when I see that precious boy smile and hear him giggle…make everything all worth it!

How sweet it is to reminisce and consider how far we have come and how far we still have to go. Who knows what the future has in store for this family. Only time will tell.

We couldn’t have survived the past few months and years without out all the love and support from family, friends and great doctors. Sorry this post has been so long, I did say cliff notes right? Thanks for reading and sharing the past few years with me.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Today I seem to have the “Don’t Wannas” “Monday Morning Blues” or “Vacation-itis.” Whatever you want to call it, I can’t seem to get the motivation to do any work today. So, I thought I would stall a little longer and add a new post to the blog.

It was a fairly quiet weekend. Same ol’ weekend chores. Laundry, house work (which I did very little of), and laziness (which I did a lot of). Daven decided that he wanted to help me with the laundry and when I walked out of the living room for one second…I came back to see this. What a mess he made, but I just had to laugh about it.

He even ended up finding the ONE hanger that could actually spin. HA! If you know anything about Daven, you know that he LOVES to spin. Anything and everything that will spin…he simply loves to spin. And by “spin” I mean; spinner toys, play cars he will turn upside down and spin the wheels, and even his newest discovery…hangers.

We also planted some flowers outside in the front yard. It was such a beautiful day that we knew Daven would enjoy being outside. So, we pulled his jumper out and set it up on the front porch. Sure enough, he instantly started smiling and giggling. He could also see Roxanne through Autumn’s window, and he just had a full conversation with her. So sweet. The picture doesn’t show it very well, but he is giving a full belly laugh to his daddy. I guess seeing his daddy with a shovel was just too funny for him to handle. ;-)

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I am sure we are all anxious for the next weekend to get here, seeing as it is a LONG weekend. YAY!

Okay, I have stalled long enough. Monday morning has officially begun. (Taking note that it is now 11:12 am HA!)

LOVE LOVE LOVE

The past few weeks have been full of support and comfort from some remarkable friends. I have never been a girl with tons of friends, but over the past year I have needed all the friends I could find. And luckily I have found tons. Some old friends that have been around for a very long time, some acquaintances that have turned into a very good friendship, and some new friends that I have made instant connections with.

I simply say this because I just wanted to give a small “Shout-Out” so to speak, to all of my great friends. I could not have survived this year without your support, love and comfort. This week alone, I have gone to lunch with Autumn, Pam (a fellow Williams Syndrome mom to Sean), Blanca, and dinner with Beverlee. These tiny outings, do so much for my sanity. HA! The week before I got to see Natalie in town from Nebraska! So fun.

My newest friend (new as in like 3 days) is Lisa. She has two precious daughters, Emma (3) and Tatum (3 months). Tatum was diagnosed with WS at 2 molds old. We have made connections through email and we became instant friends. So instant, in fact, that we have already arranged a marriage for Tatum and Daven. We already know they will be the perfect couple. ;-)

Our only problem is that she lives in Maryland. That is what, 10 or 12 states away! However, Autumn might have a place to stay for a while when she heads to Washington. Here she is with Emma and Tatum.

Thanks to all my friends! I love you more than you will ever know.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Last night, Daven and I were outside on the back porch swinging away. It was such a beautiful day that we had to sit outside and enjoy the warm weather. As soon as Autumn got home, she joined us on the swing.

Daven LOVES his Auntie Autumn so he wanted to go see her right away. As they were swinging, I decided to grab the camera and take a few pictures of the lovely day! And luckily I did. I think this picture is by far, one of the best pictures taken of Daven. You can see all over his face how much he loves his Auntie! Almost like he is just admiring her beauty.

As for my picture, he isn’t so happy to be sitting in my lap. (another picture with a fake smile) You will probably notice how he is trying to squirm his way out of my arms. But I am smiling away! HA! Thanks Autumn for enjoying the beautiful afternoon with Daven and I. And thanks to GOD for giving us such a beautiful afternoon to enjoy.

Hope you love the pictures as much as I did. Today is another beautiful day, so maybe we will have more pictures to share tomorrow.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Well, I have been racking my brain trying to think what I wanted to write about today. And I just can’t think of anything off hand. So, I thought I would bring out the I BELIEVE list. Trevor brought this up back in December and I have been working on it ever since. It is far too long to give you my entire list (like 4 pages too long) but I wanted to share some of them with you. And possibly get you to start your own I BELIEVE list.

I BELIEVE…

-I can fly.
-I can touch the sky.
(okay only kidding)
-I can soar, I see me running through that open door.
(okay I am sorry, I am done now)
-In love at first sight, when you have a child you will understand.
-Family time is better than a home cooked meal or a clean house.
-My wedding day and the day Daven was born are the two most important days of my life.
-A child’s laugh is the greatest sound on earth.
-A good doctor is worth the drive…no matter how far it may be.
-In skipping the main course and going straight for the dessert.
-A working mom is still a great mom!
-In Pre-marital counseling.
-Your life shouldn’t be defined by your children.
-In the saying…”if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
-Feeling a baby move in your womb is an unforgettable feeling
-You should question everything!
-In chiropractors.
-A mothers intuition can be stronger than a doctors diagnosis.
-Strange things happen on a full moon.
-I sleep best in my own bed.
-My father is the most genuine person I have ever met.
-A massage can change your outlook on life. (or at least for the rest of the week)
-You should be nice to the freaks. Who knows when they might blow the place up…if you are nice, maybe you will be spared!
-GranZ is Daven’s favorite person in the whole world.
-Having a family of six is worth the tight budget.
-Flirting to get a “better deal” isn’t a bad thing.
-Five minutes alone can be the best or worst five minutes of the day.
-You can learn to adapt to almost any situation.
-You should love what you do; otherwise - why do it?
-A clean house is a sign of an unlived life.

Okay, I think that is enough for now, but maybe this will get your juices flowing. Go ahead, start your own list. And continue to add to it on a daily basis. Thanks Trevor for starting this new trend! Brilliant I say!

I am also adding a picture of Daven just for good measure. ;-)

LOVE LOVE LOVE

What a busy weekend! I attended CCC’s Graduation on Friday night, Autumn’s Graduation Saturday morning, BBQ Saturday afternoon, and Mothers Day on Sunday. Whew, it has been a long time since my weekend has been so packed full with activity.

Daven wasn’t feeling so well on Saturday, so he hung out with Daddy instead of coming to Autumn’s graduation. I was really bummed about this because we had the cutest little shirt for him to wear to support Autumn. It was a tiny ENMU shirt and we put “I ♥ Auntie Autumn” on the back. It was so cute! He did love on her when she got to the party though, so maybe that made up for it. CONGRATULATIONS AUTUMN!

For my Mothers Day, I was totally spoiled. I got a beautiful James Avery bracelet and an hour full body massage! Happy Mothers Day to me! But the best part of the entire day was when Daven handed me my package. It was just his size fit perfectly in his hands, and when he reached for me handing me the package…I LOST IT! I wish I had a camera to show off this beautiful moment, but of course it was too far away before the moment had passed. I just wanted to share the best part about my Mothers Day with you! Even now, tears are welling up in my eyes thinking about it.

Here are a few pictures I wanted to share with you of Daven this weekend. Loving on Auntie Autumn, Pudge, and Daddy. When will I have pictures of Daven giving me love? Sigh

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Well, we made it. Daven is finally up to 23 hours a day! Whew, what a long day for that little man. Yesterday was his first full day of wearing the brace. He seems to be adjusting much faster than me. I think that children and babies are much more resilient than we give them credit for.

So we are off and running. Twenty-three hours a day, seven days a week. If we stick with the strict brace schedule, there are hopes of a shorter time frame. I gave Daven a bath last night and I thoroughly inspected his spine and I truly believe that it is already making a difference. So, with a little extra work and consistency…we might get this thing fixed within a year or less! YAY!

This picture was taken about 2 weeks ago. It is Daven and Luke admiring each others beauty. ;-) Daven LOVES his Cousin Luke, and I think Luke LOVES his Cousin Daven. Daven even gets so sad when Luke cries. I just wanted to share the picture with you all. Look how big Luke is getting, what a chunkster!

Happy Thursday everyone!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Logan, GrandPa, GrandMama, Daven and I all trekked up to Lubbock (for the 5th time in 3 weeks I swear!) yesterday to adjust Daven’s brace. Everything seemed to go well. They put a pad in the brace to start pushing his spine back in alignment and cut a hole in the other side so his ribs would have somewhere to go. I think this will be a great help in having Daven stay in the brace for longer periods of time. Hopefully he won’t get as hot with the new adjustments.

We also had the doctor cut it a bit higher so that Daven can sit up on his own again. It helped a bit, but Daven is still very top heavy. So I call him my little Weeble Wobble. (but he DOES falls down. HA!) I am sure that soon enough, he will learn to balance himself again.

We had the first session with the Speech Therapist today. It went okay, not great, but not horrible. She gave us some exercises to help start Daven with sensory issues and texture issues in his mouth. He did cry and probably scream, but that is okay. I am willing to listen to some crying if it will lead to a better diet and variety of foods for him.

Here is Daven enjoying his time with his GrandPa. Hope everyone is having a great day.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

The conference I attended this weekend was put on by an organization called Parents Reaching Out. It was a group that was partially founded by Auntie Alowetta. So I was anxious to see what they had to offer. I was a bit disappointed. I have been so impressed with this organization, but the conference lacked a little substance to say the least. So, I won’t go into much detail about the conference. It was however, nice to take some time off regardless. Mom and Daven made the drive with me. It was so nice to have them around and to show off Daven to the group, if nothing else.

Daven seems to be settling into the brace with ease. As you can see, he is crashed out wearing his brace. So it obviously isn’t hurting him in any way. He is now up to keeping it on for 12 hour increments. So great! We could probably do more, but we can’t seem to take off his diaper while it is on. And taking the brace on and off is a major pain!

He also can’t sit up while wearing the brace. So we go back to Lubbock today and see if they can possibly make some needed changes which we hope will allow him to sit up again.

His GrandPa and GrandMaMa came to town yesterday, so Daven is loving his time with them this week. Here is a picture of GrandPa holding both his grandsons. So cute! Look how big Cousin Luke is getting. They just love each other and watching each other. Again, Daven just wants to hold his hand. So cute!

Daven has his first session with the Speech Therapist tomorrow. I will let you know how that goes. Maybe he will start to love solid foods very soon. Crossing our fingers!

I will be back tomorrow with more.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

I have decided that I have had enough! ;-)

I will be attending a conference in Albuquerque tomorrow through Saturday. It is a conference put on by an organization that Auntie Alowetta helped create back in the early 80’s. I will get to meet other families in the state that are raising disabled children. I am truly excited about this opportunity and anxious to get involved with this organization.

Topics on the agenda are “Being an advocate for your child,” “Keeping medical records organized,” etc. You get the point. So, I will not be writing as much as I usually do for the next few days. I will however, be back on Monday with lots of pictures and a full update.

GranZ and Daven will be going with me, but we are leaving daddy in the dust. Which I am sure he will love the few nights of good rest. (Wait maybe we should bring him!) ;-)

Daven has worn the brace for 2 ½ hours so far today. We will try and get in a few more hours before the day is out. And possibly getting him to sleep in it again.

Have a great week and weekend. LOVE LOVE LOVE

Well, we are back and we all survived. Daven might tell you differently…so it is a good thing he can’t talk yet. HA!
No really, the appointment went fine. He did great, hated it…but that is no big surprise. Mom on the other hand, had a complete meltdown. I saw my precious angel in that brace and I lost it. I figured…common God, give a girl a break! (Give Daven a break!) I guess I had pictured the brace knew what it was going to be, I just hadn’t pictured Daven IN the brace. So when I saw them put it on him, I hit my breaking point.

I know being a “Mommy” has so many rewards, too many to list. BUT, not every Mommy has to watch their child be strapped in a hard brace and let their child “cry it out.” I am sorry for totally venting out today, but I figure I owe it to myself to scream every now and then. If Daven can…I can.

Whew, I am already feeling better. Sorry about that.

Daven did actually sleep in the brace for about 5 or 6 hours last night. I was so proud of him! The doctor said to slowly work our way into the 23 hours a day schedule. Start with 3 hours today, 4 hours tomorrow, etc. Which is a huge relief! I am confident that he will get used to the brace and possibly eventually think of the brace as his security blanket. (At least that is my hope) But for now, we will just see what he can handle.

The pictures don’t show very much, but maybe you can get the idea. The last picture, is after the appointment and Daven is already crashed out. He does have the brace on. You can’t even see it under his clothes!

I will keep you updated on Daven’s progress. Thanks for thinking of us yesterday, it means so much to Logan and I to have everyone’s support and prayers. We love you all.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Well, today is the day. We head to Lubbock in about 2 hours. Daven did not sleep very well last night. Which is a shame because I am guessing that would have been our last decent night of sleep for about the next month. So, if you see me walking around zombie like…please have pity on me and point me in the right direction. HA!

I truly believe in a child’s ability to feel tension and trouble among adults. I believe this is why Daven didn’t sleep last night. He knew that Logan and I were hoping for one final good nights rest and were stressed about today. So, Daven panicked and couldn’t sleep either. I may be way off base on this, he may have just had an upset tummy, but my motherly instinct hasn’t let me down yet.

Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts today as we travel and as we go through this next step. You have my word that pictures will be available by tomorrow with an update on our first night with the new brace. Wish us luck!

I hope everyone has a great day. LOVE LOVE LOVE