March for Babies

Yesterday was our annual March for Babies walk with our team The Brayden Bunch. We had a wonderful day with family and friends. We set a goal to raise $5000 and we beat that by over $3000. We certainly felt very loved and celebrated with our little miracle. The weather held up OK, it was a bit chilly but the sun was out. All in all it was a great day!

The grandparents

If your ever tempted to try out your kiddos stroller, yes you will fit LOL.

After the walk I went with my parents to help with seed packing at there church. We packed up tomato seeds that will be sent to Zimbabwe to help them grow veggies to sustain there economy. It was very cool. I am happy to have helped.

I had a long day of volunteering and boy was I pooped. I went to bed at 8pm and crashed. I feel happy that I was able to give back so much this weekend. Very rewarding!

Canvas Discount

I have a great offer through Easy Canvas Prints for Mother's Day. They are doing a promotion code and donating the same amount to charity. 

I love canvas. We have a canvas wall started and I can't wait to add more after our family pictures in May. It's a great way to decorate.

This Mother's Day, we will donate 25% of all Easy Canvas Prints revenue generated through Canvas for a Cause back to these three non-profit organizations: CASA of Travis County, SafePlace, and Ronald McDonald House of Austin and Central Texas.

Place a Canvas for a Cause order at www.easycanvasprints.com/mothersday As an added perk, you will receive 25% off plus free shipping when you purchase through Canvas for a Cause! That's a 25% discount, plus a 25% donation. This offer is valid now through May 13, 2012, so you can order just in time for Mother's Day.

Make sure to scoop this deal up and order a canvas. They make great gifts as well!

What's going on around here

*Our march for Babies walk is next weekend!! I'm so excited and I hope the weather cooperates with us!! We have well exceeded our goal and I am so proud to have been apart of this wonderful organization. Now time to help D fund raise for the Chicago Marathon. He is running for The Ronald McDonald House, a cause also close to our hearts.

Our shirts!!

 *We took my parents old couch this week, moved our nursery laz-e-boy into the living room, and donated our old stuff to the epilepsy foundation. This couch is really old but SO comfortable. I have someone coming today to give me a price quote for a slipcover. Since the stained green isn't my thing, LOL. PS...when looking at nursery chairs go with the laz-e-boy, best choice we ever made. Works in any room after your done with it in the nursery!

New sectional couch.

*The support around B's CP diagnosis has been amazing. B is touching so many lives, most of all ours!!

*D's company is moving to TX in June and he will be loosing his job. He has been interviewing and fingers crossed he gets an offer. We can finally get benefits instead of paying for private insurance....which is great but with a special needs kiddo it's $$$$$.

*It's freezing today. Hey Chicago it's Spring....get with the program!

*I think I am officially letting go of my love for Nordstroms. OFF Saks has way better deals...where have you been my whole life. Or really why haven't I been there sooner? I found this super cute top at a steal for our family pics (May 27).

*B was so tired yesterday that he couldn't wait for me to give him his paci and put him in his crib. The play mat had to do for a nap spot! LOL.

*B likes the new couch. Easy for him to sit assisted on. And also pose with moms silly props!

Have a good weekend!

Thank You

Thank you for the sweet comments and emails on B's Cerebral Palsy diagnosis. We have been processing with family and friends and feel optimistic for the future. I must say for insurance this is already a dream, they like having more specific things to get claims ect moving through. And with all B's meds, dr appointments, and bills I call BCBS at least once a week.

D and I have been visioning for our future and what we want it to look like. We haven't really done that in a while, since B was born we have basically been living week to week and now that he is stable we can start to plan again. Feels good. There may even be a sibling for B in our future (not the near future fyi). We have also been looking into a wheelchair van. I am determined to make the big white van sexy...or at least some other color than white!! LOL.

B is still all smiles. His CP diagnosis hasn't phased him one bit!!

Follow ups, x-rays, and CP

Yesterday I spent 5+ hours at Children's for some dr appointments with B. Toting around a 26lb fussy sleepy baby....it was exhausting.

B saw his Ortho Dr and we got a spine x-ray. She said his scoliosis has no change. GREAT NEWS!!! Best thing I could have heard. He will get another x-ray in 5 months.

After B saw his special needs-rehab Dr. She said he looks great, she is happy with him. She put him on a day dose of the baclofen (a muscle relaxer to help with high tone in his arms and legs). He was just taking it at night so now we can see how he dose with an added dose per day. We talked about looking into a chair for him since he is outgrowing his stroller. When we return in 5 months there will be a vendor there to go over some options with us. She gave us a Rx to get him night braces for his feet. This will help stretch his tight ankles. She gave us a new overall diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy. A scary word but I knew it was coming. This will also be helpful with insurance. In the end it doesn't change anything....it's just a word. So the official diagnosis is: Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. The quad just meaning all four limbs are effected.

I snapped a pic of B's x-ray. The tube is his shunt drain that goes into his abdomen. The reason it's so long and coiled is so it can grow and expand with him. I thought it was pretty cool looking. If you look close you can see the small curve in his lower spine. His curve is only at 8* right now, very small.

My sleepy man passed out in the waiting room.

Being silly on the exam table. (Dad dressed me so I look like a blueberry, LOL)

We are still letting the CP diagnosis sink in. It's definitely a scary word but it doesn't change how I feel about B. He is a special little guy. All his nurses and Drs certainly adore him and his little flirty personality. Of course I do too.

Easter

We had a full weekend of family. We feel very blessed and of course little man made out. Easter is like Christmas for kids!

He got lots more goodies at the other grandmas house and of course my camera skills lately have been poor at best. I need to take more pictures!

B looked handsome in his Gap polo. My stud muffin(s)!

My heart is full today!

Chocolate peanut butter cream cupcakes

I am impressed with my cooking skills lately. I love the Food Network and I learn a lot from watching that show. Lately cupcake wars have been a fave show and I learned a cool trick to make cupcakes look and taste professional.

I had a mix of choc cake I wanted to make and frosting. (I use Pamelas gluten free mixes) I wanted to do a cool filling so I used what I had in the house and it was a success!!! It honestly was a experiment that thankfully worked well. you know because heaven forbid I actually look up a recipe online, LOL.

So here's my (blind leading the blind) instructions.

Make your cupcake mix and let cool completely. Take sharp knife and cut a small hole in the top, remove excess cake.

For my filling I wanted a peanut butter flavor so I took 1/2c heavy whipping cream and beat it with a mixer to make whipped cream and added 1T of stevia or you can use sugar(add before you beat). I folded in 2T peanut butter. It turned out to be a nice light filling.

To pipe into cupcakes put a baggie into a cup and add filling. Putting it in the cup makes it easier to scoop out. Then cut a hole in baggie and you can easily pipe into the middle of the cupcakes.

For the frosting you can do the same thing by putting it into a larger baggie, cutting a hole, and piping the frosting on to the cup cake. I love the way it looks, like it's with a real piping bag.

They look professional and the filling makes them super yummy. (All I had was Thanksgiving wrappers LOL). You can do many different fillings, cake, frosting combos. It takes a cheap box mix and makes them extra special and unique. I think I will be doing this for B's birthday this year instead of spending the extra money for bakery made cupcakes.

Under the weather

We made it all winter without a cold and as soon as Spring hits.....SICK! It started with B and now I have it. D has been spared thus far. It's just a small cold so no fevers for B and I'm still up and about but we are the two crabbiest sleepy people right now. I took B to the dr yesterday because he was pulling his ear but no infection....must be teething? That's good news. So now we just have to ride it out. Hopefully it gone before the Easter weekend.

In other news I finally gave B a haircut. It was hillbilly long. Ha! Handsome man ready for Eater pics! Which is basically just me with my iPhone!

FOR THE FOODIES: If you like cauliflower you must try this cheesy cauliflower mash recipe I got on Pinterest. It's delish.



Here is a sweet video of B snoring the other day. He snores when he's congested.