Catch a Break/Summer Fun

Hello Friends and Family! Here is a little update on whats been going on with Team Morton. Lets start with me and Josh. We finally got our garden planted at the beginning of June. Josh built me a little garden box and planted 3 Roma Tomato Plants and 1 Squash. Our first garden and I can not wait to enjoy veggies from my own garden. Yum. Josh has been busy at work. He will be coming to an end of his project in the next two months. We are pretty sure he will get a job right away with a local electrical contractor but are still a little nervous not having the job security. On the weekends and days, we bust out the pool and water toys and hang out outside all day. The boys just love it, especially Brayden, he is my little water bug.

Brayden, Joey, and Josh got really sick around the first week in June. It was a icky cough and congestion cold that just hit us all at once and killed us!! Jordan was the worst so we had him on breathing treatments, and inhalers to help him breath. Poor kid was miserable. He did get another ear infection but his cough just wouldn't go away and Brayden was coughing too. So I took them both in expecting Jordan to have pneumonia again. But hahah jokes on Mom. Brayden was the one who ended up getting the chest x-ray and blood work cause he had pneumonia in both lungs. Poor kid. So we got him started on a antibiotic and the next day he broke out in massive hives all over his back and chest. Found out he is allergic to the meds. So had to put him on steroids to get rid of the hives and a new antibiotic!! Little man is allergic to so many things!! Finally Brayden was on the mend and Joey was still just not sleeping super fussy and just plain miserable so I take him back in not even a week later and the strongest antibiotic that he was on for his ear infection didn't work and was still there...aaaahhhh. So he had to do big nasty shots that left bruises and he cried for like 20 minutes after because they leave big red bumps on his legs. Being a nurse and all I can usually handle watching my kids get poked and tested and it doesn't bother me but I broke down in tears at the doctors office. It broke my heart that he has to go through all of this. Both of my boys are so strong and such troopers and we can not catch a freaking break on sickness this year and its summer!! Anyways after the shots little Joey was a totally new boy! He was happy again and sleeping and started walking!! Then I had a whole 6 days before it hit again, and yes he got ANOTHER ear infection!! So we are seeing a Ear,Nose, and Throat Doctor this Friday and get all scheduled for tubes.. I won't lie I am a little freaked out about putting my baby under, it down right terrifies me. But I know its for the best and he needs them, I can not handle all the ear infections anymore the poor kid just suffers.

Alright enough with my ranting and venting about sickness. On June 22 I ran the Color Me Rad 5K with a few of my friends!! It was so so much fun and family friendly. I am totally taking my hubby and boys next year!! My good friend Nicole Heath from California is living in Idaho now and came down the night before and stayed with us. I loved loved catching up with her and having some wine and girl talk, I have missed her so much! Then a old high school friend Jeremy Johnson was going to run it but all his group bailed on him so I picked him up and he ran with me, Nicole Heath, Idena Ward, and Joy Seegmiller. We had shirts made and were the Spice Girls with our nicknames!! I was Super Spice, Idena was Sexy Spice, Joy was Stunning Spice,and Nicole was Shorty Spice. We had a blast and got covered with color blast!! It was in my mouth, teeth, ears, hair, everywhere!! It was so worth it.

Then after the race Josh's Grandma came up to visit with her husband Don from Laughlin. We loved having them and showing off our house and of course Jordan was super shy at first then warmed up and Brayden just loves his Great Grandma. We got dinner and hung out at the house and chatted awhile. The boys played outside and we watched. It was a really fun relaxing weekend. We were sad to see them go.

Brayden has shown some improvement with his behavioral issues so we decided he was ready to do the ABA class. Every Tuesday and Thursday from 11:30-1:00. Boy I was not ready for the tantrums and just not wanting to do it. I was so emotionally and physically exhausted. The teachers are so wonderful and so understanding. They let me have Joey tag along because he is still fighting off this ear infection and doesn't want anybody but me. So I have a 2 1/2 autistic boy and sick walking 10 month old in a structure class... it was a nightmare but I know that once Brayden gets the routine down it is going to help him out so much and finally start seeing more improvement. He has had some really good days where I feel he is starting to understand things more like Brayden time for a diaper change and he lays down and waits for me to change him. Huge step. He interacts with his brother ALOT now. They love to wrestle and Brayden loves to tackle him and put his hand through his hair cause its so fluffy. He has even become protective of him. If a neighbor kid is by Joey and gets shy, Brayden will come over sit by his brother and give him a toy or jibber jabber to him. It is a very special bond that these two have and I know that Jordan will be a huge help for Brayden. We finally got him to start signing "more" I bribed him with candy and chips and it worked!! haha He is a big sensory seeker. He likes to bite things like his blankets and the couch. So the OT gave him these special chew toy things that he loves because he was driving me crazy biting everything!! He has his bad days too where no matter what I do I can not stop him from spiraling into a huge tantrum spell and can not get him out of it for like 20 minutes. His new thing is to hit or kick me when I tell him to wait or no. He can't tell me how he feels so he hits to show he is angry and putting him in time out doesn't help because he doesn't understand why he is in time out. So its a work in progress. Boy does it bug me when he hits. For the most part we have seen lots more improvement this last month with understanding things, but listening that's a different story. Anyways in the next month or so I am going to be starting a new blog that will just be about Braydens Journey through Autism. I want other moms to know what I am going through so they will not feel so alone. I feel alone all the time, that I must be a horrible mother because I don't know what my son wants or needs. It is a Journey that is so new to me. I love all the support I get from family members and friends. I vent on facebook sometimes, not for attention, but just to vent. And I always get amazing people telling me everything is going to be ok and I am doing the right thing. Sometimes you need that and I get strength through that. I love being able to talk to my Cali Girls and they are always there for me and love me and I just love them so!!(you know who you are) Brayden is a challenge but he is so worth it. He makes me smile everyday and cuddles with me everyday. He needs me and I need him. I love him for who he is and wouldn't change a single thing about him. He loves loves the movie Wreck it Ralph and Cars. He watches it everyday and goes and grabs his Lightening McQueen and Tow Mater Car to watch it. Its adorable. He is my little Angel.

Jordan is 10 months old now!! Holy Crap only 2 more months and he is Year!! My blond hair blue eyed babe is WALKING!! not just steps.. full on walking. In the matter of a week he went from 3 steps to 5 steps to over 10 steps and is fully walking!! He tries to keep up with Bubba so bad and gets grumpy when he can't. He signs milk now and claps at Everything. He also points at everything too and jibber jabbers. He loves toys with buttons that light up or anything with lids. (toilet seat and toilet paper roll is his favorite right now) He is my other little water bug. He likes to crawl in and out of the pool and put his hands in the sprinkler. He has the biggest cheesey smile that melts anyones heart. He is extremely shy. He hides his face with anyone new, even Papa and Grandma Hlebasko. Its cute yet annoying because I have to try and juggle Brayden with a clingy, shy 10 month old. I need more hands!!haha He loves string cheese now and eats whatever we are eating. He eats anything!! I love love it. He loves to wrestle with brother and likes all of brothers hot wheel cars. I think we are going to have another little car lover on our hands. He never never holds still for anything!! Always on the go. He sleeps through the night when he doesn't have a ear infection. He takes 2-3 one hour naps a day. Goes to sleep around 11 and wakes up around 8. If he isn't in pain. I feel so bad for him that he can't enjoy sleep because of his stupid ear, but we will be getting that fixed soon. He is such a cuddle bug still and says ma ma, da da, and yeah. He claps all the time and is just so proud of himself. I love my little Joey Bug and love watching him grow, just wish he could slow down a bit. Your killing me Smalls!! xoxo

 

At the end of June we went down to St. George for a Helm/Stephens Family Reunion. My parents just closed out their new home in St. George on Wednesday and we were there on Thursday Night.So we had no furniture or anything but had a blast!! Other than the horrible horrible heat. On Friday we went to Quail Lake and it got up to 115. Yeah it was hot!! With the boys it was too much for us, we left early. Joey got really bad heat rash and Brayden was just done. The Boys had so much fun though. I took Brayden on the Wave runner for the first time and he LOVED it. Kept saying wwweeeeeee wwwwweeeeeee mum wwwwweeeeeeee that is only the second time he has said mom. He played in the water in the mud most of the time. Kept Joey in the shade and cooled him off in the water once in a while. He wasn't sure about it at first then started having a blast. Yes he ate lost of sand and mud.. pretty comical. Later that night we meet at Grandma Stephens for dinner and Brayden had a really really hard time with the heat and all the people and just spiraled into horrible tantrums and pooped all over himself. Grandma Hlebasko was there to the rescue. She helped me out so much and explained to others that he is Autistic and everyone was pretty understanding. Brayden is a HUGE Grandmas Boy. They have a really special bond that he doesn't even have with me. He Loves her so much and of course Papa Hlebasko too but just always goes to Grandma, it really is cute. I am so lucky that I have all her support and understanding. She has been a huge help for me with Braydens condition. So the next day it was super hot again so we went to the St. George Aquatic Center with everyone and the kids loved it! Brayden went down the slides, went in the lazy river with daddy. Joey splashed and they have these cool little swings in the water the Jordan just loved and kept going around in circles giggling, I couldn't even get a good picture he was spinning too much! That was fun then we went back to the house and relaxed and had dinner at Grandma's again, Brayden did much better, he had a nap and I came prepared with movies and noodles. After Dinner Jake and Jessica decided to come up and join us!! So we had mostly everyone there (except Alicia and her family) :( But I understand they needed to get their kids to bed and stuff. Wish I could have seen her more!! I love my sis! So we stayed up late and chatted and let the cousins play. The next day, Sunday...Sucked!! Josh got super super sick with a stomach bug and so did Brayden they were throwing up all day. So we didn't get to leave for home and Josh had to take a day off from work on Monday. My poor hubby couldn't even get out of bed. So I was taking care of both boys by myself and one was super sick. It was a long day. My mom and sister in law got sick too and some of Alicia's Family. On the way home Monday Joey got it and yesterday I got it. It is a super super nasty bug blah. Horrible way to end a vacation but it was so much fun. Always a good time seeing family!!