Urology Follow-Up

On February 19, Banks had a follow-up ultrasound and DMSA test to see about his kodneys and the next step in his treatment plan. Patrick had to work due to being closed for bad weather and having to reschedule a lot of patients. We are so blessed to have such loving and supportive grandparents that always step up to the plate. In addition to me, Karen and my mom and dad were all by Banks' side. Patrick ended up having a couple of patients reschedule that morning (divine intervention) and was able to come for a couple of hours. Banks had to have an IV, which was horrible, and had to be sedated, which was worse. But he got through it ok! It wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit if this baby never has to wear a hospital gown again.

The good news... Banks kidneys showed improvement!! Praise the Lord. At his laat appointment, Dr.Monroe told us he would definitely be having surgery before 6mos old. No doubt in my mind, the power of prayer and the Lord intervened for our sweet angel. We will follow up in 3 months with another ultrasound to make sure things are still improving. Continued prayers are appreciated!

Valentines Day.. Earthquake!

For Valentinea Day, Patrick and I decided to take it back to where it all began on our first date 9 years ago... Texas Roadhouse. Who would have thought we would be back 9 years later with our newborn baby. :-)

There was some unwelcome excitement when we were going to sleep shortly after 10. We felt the house shake, but neither one of us thought too much about it. I thought it was a helicopter. Come to find out, it was a 4.4 earthquake originating in Edgefield. In 8 weeks, Banks has been through 2 snowstorms and an earthquake!  

Snowmageddon 2014

Winter 2014 has certainly brought some excitement. Banks is not going to believe how wonderful life can be once spring arrives because it's been so cold and yucky during his short life. So, I have to tell the "snowmageddon" story. We had the one snow a few weeks ago, which was small but exciting for everyone. Then, 2 weeks later, the "most treacherous winter storm in a decade" was on it's way. I decided to call the gas company since Patrick and I couldn't get our gas logs to work. The servicemen came out and said our regulator was broken. The weathermen were saying that losing power was essentially inevitable, so Patrick and I wanted our gas logs working. We set out on a mission to find this regulator, and failed. So here we were with no alternate heat source, and were going to be stranded for days in a house with no power, according to the media. Patrick and I were both doubtful that this snowstorm was going to be so bad.... until 4am the next morning when I got up to feed Banks and glanced out the window to see a white winter wonderland. Wait a minute... the reliable weatherman told me this wasn't going to start until 6:30! So what did I do? I freaked out, woke Patrick up at the crack of dawn, packed us all up, and insisted we weren't staying in a cold house. Translation: "MY BABY CAN'T BE COLD!" Patrick (who is going to kill me for even posting this for the world to see) was not happy with me. But eventually I talked him into going to his office, to sleep on an air mattress for the night, because (in my new momma mind) it is on a main road and less likely to lose power. Me, Patrick, Banks, and Demi all had a spend the night at Hopewell Family Dentistry. The end result of Snowmageddon 2014? 6 inches of snow and no power outages.

Update: we are the proud owners of a new regulator for our gas logs. We are now prepared for any future disasterous snowstorms!

Playdates

Banks has had a couple of play dates so far. One was with Logan, who was born 3 weeks after Banks. His momma is April, who works at the hospital with me. We also used to take gymnastics together a long time ago! This is Logan...

He has also had several playdates with Rollins (and technically Asher)... many more to come!

The Many Faces of Banks

Banks has some funny facial expressions. With all the sounds/cooing he does, and these faces, I think it's safe to say he is going to be good at expressing himself...

Superbowl Sunday

For the superbowl this year, we went to Kayla and Byron's house to watch the Broncos play the Seahawks. We were pulling for the Broncos, to represent my family in Colorado, but unfortunately it was a blowout and the Seahawks won. Banks had fun hanging out with Rollins, until the 3rd quarter when he started screaming and we had to come home. To his defense, it was a boring game ;-)

Growing Up Fast... ROLL OVER!

Ever since Banks was about 3 weeks old and started having an upset/gassy tummy, I have put him on his tummy a lot during the day. He has been able to lift and turn his head back and forth since he was about 4wks. He actually enjoys tummy time, especially with his Daddy...

This week, I have noticed a big change in Banks. He turned 6 weeks old on Thursday, and he is making eye contact, turning his head toward sounds/voices, and really seems to be engaging a lot more. He is also using his voice more and coo-ing. Not to mention, he has outgrown most of his newborn clothes.

I noticed yesterday while he was on his tummy, he was pushing up on his arms. But then today, he gave Patrick and I a huge surprise when he ROLLED OVER! I do have to put his arms up under him (so they aren't down by his sides), but after I do that he flips over within 10-15 seconds. He did it 3 times in a row. Don't worry, we got it on video!

This little boy looks more like his handsome Daddy every day! :-)

He has some funny sleeping positions too, for example:

More Smiles

Fact: This gummy smile is the sweetest sight in the world.

He does cry sometimes too ;-)

First Snow!

This past week was an exciting one! Karen had planned to come to Anderson for Patrick to do some dental work and, of course, to see Banks. We knew they were calling for some bad weather, but who believes the weatherman anyway? ;-) Karen arrived on Monday, and we ended up getting some snow flurries on Tuesday. The whole state got some type of winter weather between Tuesday and Wednesday, so Karen was stuck with for a couple of days. I know she hated being snowed in with her grandson :-). It ended up being a real blessing having her here because Patrick was short staffed and I was able to help him at the office while Banks got to spend some quality time with his Nannie.