Trick Or Treat!

In his pockets are: a duck, a pig, & a cow. At his feet are: a horse & a sheep.

I took Farmer Eli (aka "Old MacDonald Had a Farm, Eli-Eli-Oh")

trick or treating at his Nana's house, and then we went to our church for their Fall Carnival.

He started crying at Nana's and then screamed the whole time we were at the church!

I think he was overstimulated with all the kids, and people, and noise and different lights.

As soon as we got outside, he was fine! He fell right to sleep when we got home and I fed him dinner. I sure hope he gets a good night's sleep...to make up for the energy he exerted tonight!

The hat and bandana didn't last long! The bandana got soaked from his drool, and the hat was just plain annoying! He was soooo cute, though!

Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!


It ain't Halloween without carved pumpkins and
"It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" on TV!


I carved two pumpkins. This is the only one I'm willing to show you. The other is without a doubt, the worst pumpkin I've ever carved. I was trying to be creative, but I think my muse is on vacation...'cause it's awful! Really! Awful.


I know! I know! Someday Eli will ask me, "What the heck were you thinking, Mom? Those pajamas are so silly."
And I will say, "They were cute. I loved the black cats with the pumpkins. And they were 50% off!" That is my story, and I'm sticking to it. :) I'm just a nerd at heart.

Toothy Grin

I'm sorry I've been too busy to post lately.

Will update you later regarding Eli's surgery.

New Email Address

Effective Tuesday, October 23rd, we are finally getting DSL internet.
Our new email address will be:
3berks@fairpoint.net

Another night in ICU

Friday night at 8:25 pm, Eli woke up in respiratory distress. We were prepared with some new tools this time, and things went a lot smoother than the August event! First, I wouldn't let them put a mask on him for oxygen. I made them just give me the tube and I held it in front of his face. Second, I made them give him an "Epi" shot while in the ambulance, and that saved him from getting so bad off before we could get to the hospital. They also give him an albuterol nebulizer treatment. When we were about 5 minutes from the hospital, I he coughed up a "mucus plug" and then he was doing much better. By the time we got to the hospital, it wasn't such a traumatic experience. There was only about 3-5 people in the room, instead of 20!

He started sounding bad again, and hacked up some more gunk. They gave him more breathing treatments, a mucus thinning nebulizer drug, and used an ugly vibrating mallot looking thing on his back to try and loosen up the junk in his lungs.

We finally got up to a room in ICU at around 11:30 pm. Eli gets so wired from all the Epi treatments, that his mind is tired, and he tries so hard...but his heart was just keeping his body from relaxing. So, we had to stand over him with hands on him, trying to keep in asleep. Finally, at 3:30 am he went #2, and after that diaper change...he went to sleep! But only until 5:30 am! Ugh.

He did great in the hospital that day, and was moved to a room in the Pediatric Unit at about 11:00 am. We hung out in there "under observation" through the afternoon. Dr. Bartlett wanted keep us another night, just to see if Eli was getting sick (with a cold, because he was really snot nosed), but I asked to go home. We have home suction, so I can keep his nose clear. Plus, we have a nebulizer, so I can give him breathing treatments. I knew we would all sleep better at home, and that would mean healing quicker!

I get a sore throat everytime we spend the night in the hospital! Germs are everywere! Especially in the ventilation systems, I tell ya! So, I am going to try some Airborne next time! It will go in my hospital bag that I keep packed and in the van.

Eli is doing much better. They thought he might be getting the cold "that is going around". (when isn't something going around?) But his snotty nose was better today, and he was in a fairly good mood considering.

I know many of you are wondering what ever happened with the pH probe results. Well, he has "excessive reflux". But it has taken all this time for Dr. Harthcock (Eli's pediatrician) and the surgeon at Children's Hospital (Dr. Gow) to talk and discuss options. We will meet with Dr. H this week, to decide what to do. Most likely will be getting the Nissen Fundoplication surgery, just not sure when. Will update the blog when I know.

Happy Birthday, Shiela!

Happy Birthday to my sister Shiela!

I love you!

Theives Among Us

The cat food hasn't been lasting through the night lately...and we had our suspicions as to who might be the culprit! Well, Friday night Lonnie walks out the back door to find THE THEIF!

Skunks are soooo cute. It's too bad they are sooooo stinky!

pH probe, a private room! and giraffes.

The doggy was a gift from the admitting staff. The frog was a gift from the nurse who put the pH probe in. Nice gestures, huh?!

Eli did so great at the hospital! When they put the probe up his nose and into his esophogus, he coughed and sneezed a little...then when I fed him...he had a couple little sneezing fits...and then he was settled and was so happy while we were there. He was content with his movies and music. Relaxed in my arms when I fed him. Took his naps. Slept through the night!
Hello! What's up with that? He's been sooooooooo fussy at home for a long time now...and the car trip over was not fun for him, but then the hospital environment makes him a happy kid?

Hmm. We are really pondering this one. First on the list, is we are going to rearrange his little "world" he lives in. His mat, TV, toys, etc. Maybe that is a major bore to him?
The drive home was not fun either, but we made it.

We stopped in North Bend at bought a few pairs of pajamas for winter, and got back on the road again. Did I ever tell you I LOVE CARTER's at the outlet mall? Gosh they have the cutest stuff, and it's all so soft and comfy for Eli. I just love going there. They always have what I need for him. He gets too hot in those fleece sleepers, and so far each Fall they have footie/zippered PJ's that are just a thin cotton. Perfect for my boy! :)

We couldn't believe it. A ROOM OF OUR OWN! Hallelujah! The room we were to have was a shared room, but wasn't ready when we checked in (we were a little early) so they let us have the private room! It was fabulous. Our best night in the hospital ever.
The cafeteria at Children's is awesome. It is not your average hospital food. It's more like a buffet restaurant. So, the whole experience was good. I met a gal in the cafeteria who was pushing her little girl in a stroller like Eli's, so I stopped to talk to her. We discussed the faults of the stroller, and our kids issues, and exchanged emails. You just never know who you are going to meet there!

Finally, we were staying in the Giraffe wing of the hospital. Lonnie also ended up in room 103 at Ronald McDonald House, which is the room we stayed in when Eli was there after birth. It had pictures of Giraffes on the walls...so I took pictures of them this time. I also bought Eli a cute stuffed Giraffe at the gift shop. (Hey, it's a tradition I started. Everytime he spends the night in the hospital I buy him a little gift) I still have a puppet I was given at age three when I was in the hospital after my appendix burst and I had it removed. These kinds of things are special to me.

So, we find out results from the pH probe later this week. Will post info when we know something...

Pumpkin Harvest

As most of you know, we live in the country. And like most country folk, we have a burn pile.
It sometimes ends up being our compost pile, too. So, after Halloween is over each year, and my pumpkins are all wrinkled and ruined, they get tossed into the burn pile...to decay.
Well, last year, my sister in law was in her new house for her first Halloween. She loves to decorate for the holidays, and ended up with several pumpkins on her porch. We just happened to be talking one day on the phone about what to do with them after they rot...and I told her to bring them out here and throw them on our burn pile. So she did.
Lo and behold, mid summer comes along, and we see a large pumpkin plant growing next to our burn pile! It yielded the 11 pumpkins shown above!!! How awesome is that? All those pumpkins we dumped on the there last fall...ended up seeding themselves :)
I suppose I better share my bounty with Diana....

Scrapbooking Layouts

My mom used to say this to Eli, so I decided to use it as my title. :)


A random pose, caught on film!

I couldn't get a good picture of this LO. Oh, well. You get the point.

Seattle Trip Cancelled this week

We were supposed to go to Seattle on Monday for Eli's pH probe study...but he ended up getting sick over the weekend, so we cancelled last minute. I think it's just a cold, but he's pretty miserable and not tolerating his feeds that well. Not to mention that sitting in a car seat is AWFUL right now for him! UGH!

The test has been rescheduled for Oct. 1st. Tammy's birthday! We'll think of you while eating in the hospital cafeteria! :) Let's hope he's all better by then!

So, it's been a crazy week here...hoping he gets better and me starting to feel worse.

I am supposed to go scrapbooking this weekend...and will be very sad if I can't go.

Here's a silly picture I took in August. Lon thinks he looks like a chef. haha

September already. Wow!

I can't believe we are headed into Fall. I LOVE FALL! However, it means the holiday season is just around the corner...again. Is it just me, or are the years going by way too fast?
Overall, my summer was good.
I grew some beautiful flowers this year. Dahlia's - my fave! Peonies, Petunias, Roses, Marigolds, Carnations (my favorite smell), geraniums, and some really neat flowers that I didn't catch the name of.
I got to visit my great-aunt that I hadn't seen in 9 years. Spent time with my Aunt Shiela and her family twice, and of course Eli's birthday party was a fun success.
I have joined the steering team for the Selah MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group at Selah Covenant Church...which is two blocks from my house! 2 minute drive for Eli....yahoo! I will greatly miss the one at my church...but felt God moving me to stay closer to home. I wanted to be involved in the planning committee, and when I called and asked if they needed help, they said, "all we have left is Publicity." Hello! That is what I wanted!! God is amazing, isn't he? I gave up what was comfortable, and stepped out in obedience, and he blessed me with that! So, I've been busy making flyers, postcards, newsletters, and questionnaires to create a photo directory for the Moms. Our first meeting is Friday...I can't wait to get to know all these gals better in the coming months.
In closing, I just want to let everyone know that Eli will be spending Monday night Sept. 17th in the hospital at Children's in Seattle. He is having the pH probe done...it's a 24 hour study. They will place a tube up his nose and down into his esophogus, with a device attached to record acid activity. This test is not always a sure proof test, unfortunately. Let's hope we get information that will help us make the decision of whether or not he needs the Nissen Fundoplication surgery or not.
God bless you my dear family and friends. Love, Amy

Happy Birthday, Gina!

Today is my sister Gina's birthday. Just wanted to send a shout out to her! I LOVE YOU gobs and gobs! Gina and her grandson, Elisiah. My great nephew.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm, Eli, Eli, Oh!

Last week Eli's favorite song was Old MacDonald Had a Farm on the Baby Einstein Playtime Music Box CD. So, I took pictures of him while he was listening to it. It tickles him so much!

In the process of trying to get a good shot of him smiling and laughing...I got a couple funny faces, too! Here's one of them:

One Year Gone

Twila Anita Knight - age 4


Feb. 06, last pic before diagnosis of lung cancer

Yesterday, Aug. 27th was the one year anniversary of my Mom's death.
I did particularly well. I was more sad on Sunday morning, as she died on a Sunday. I know she is in a better place. Her life was hard and miserable most of the time. She made many bad choices that she regretted until the very end. She didn't see how God could forgive her "on her deathbed". She felt she wasn't deserving. I tried to explain to her that it's never too late to accept Christ as your personal savior. The benefit is: the sooner we do it, the more we get to enjoy the benefits of His love while we are on Earth!

Look around. See the beauty in his creation. Recognize the daily blessings that come your way. The green light when you're in a hurry. The bird flying by your window putting on a show. A new checkstand opening just as you walk by looking for one. Your loved one calling just to say, "Hi". Finding the best sweater ever on the clearance table. They are everywhere!

GOD is so good! He can help you make it through the most painful seasons of your life, if you just let Him. He's always there, waiting for you. If you don't know what to say, just say, "Help me". He will.

I am so thankful for the awesome family and wonderful friends He has brought into my life. The love and support is what has helped me get through this last two years.
I love you all dearly. Thank you for being a part of my journey.
Aim

Eli and Sam

We put Eli's new seat in his wagon, and he loves going outside for rides. Here he is saying "Hi" to one of his furry brothers: Sam.

VeggieTales Birthday Cake

Happy 2nd Birthday, Eli!

How cute is this cake?
VeggieTales featuring: Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber.
We had it delivered today. White cake with raspberry filling. Yumm-O!

Eli got a Train Set!

This is the cutest little train set! Eli had so much fun with it in therapy yesterday.
When you press the conductor the whistle blows and you hear a train sound as it goes around the track. There is a Monkey and an Elephant riding in the traincar, and each makes the appropriate sound when you push them.
Eli liked to grab the train and derail it. Typical boy, huh? He like to grab the conducter out of his seat, too. It was great!
See his hand on the little monkey?

Here is Karla - his PT - working on his trunk control so he can "sit and play".

Eli's 2nd Birthday Party!

We had a great turnout for Eli's party. Thank you to everyone who came!!
The potluck food was fabuluous.

We had a little mishap with the cake. It was all MY fault! I ordered the cake a long time ago, to beat the summer wedding rush with the cake lady. I had planned to have his party on the 25th...and then needed to change the date to accomodate another family party. Oops! I forgot to call the cake lady and change it. So, she is going to do a smaller version of the VeggieTales cake and deliver it on Thursday - Eli's actual birth day.

I'm glad I made cupcakes - for pictures sake, anyway. Only two people at them.

But there was ice cream...and that made the kids happy!

Here is the Bob the Tomato pinata that I made. The kids had a blast ripping into him and getting the bounty of goodies: Teddy Grahams, Fish Crackers, Fig Newtons, Cars Gummy Snacks, Fruit Rolls, Kisses, and mini candy bars. The kids ranged in age from 1 to 14, so I had to be creative with the pinata stuffers. The adults loved the Fig Newtons! haha

The weather was perfect...PTL it didn't rain...He saved it for Sunday instead!

Eli's New Seat - The Special Tomato

Here is my happy boy sitting in a seat! Yahoo!

His therapist brought it on Tuesday for us to try

out for a few days. He loves it! It has wheels so I

can take him around the house with me while I do

stuff. It's great! This will give him so much more

input...about life in general. He has no idea what I'm

doing most of the time. Now he can be a part of things.

We have to return this to the therapy center and wait

for ours to get approved by insurance, ordered, and delivered.

So...unfortunately, we can't make much of a routine out of it

just yet. For now, I'm making it fun. Just hanging out.

Eventually, though, we hope to be able to put him in it

to feed him. Like a big boy! :)

Eli is doing well. Thanks for all your prayers, emails, and phone calls!

The next step is to go to Seattle and have a Ph probe test done.

We are waiting to hear back from Children's Hospital when they can get us in.

Their GI Dept. is busy, and booked out for a long time. We hope to get an appt.

as soon as possible. He will spend the night in the hospital and they will but a "string"

down his throat into his stomach and it will measure the acidity in his stomach. It will also, tell us how often he is refluxing and how high it goes in his esophogus.

If it is really bad, we will have to make the decision of whether to put him through a Nissen surgery to help him. Yikes.

Don't forget about the Berkheimer Bash this weekend!

Saturday, August 18th - 4:00 pm - our house

Potluck

Dessert and Drinks will be provided