BB

Today is my mom's birthday.  I don't even know where to begin.  My mom has been a true God-send for my entire life, really, but ESPECIALLY these past 5 months.  We are so very appreciative and thankful for her unending love, support, and time.

And just to share a little about BB...

Pics of my mom and dad back in the day. 
Cool white outfit, dad!  :)

When she went to Texas Tech University, the word on the street was that she was one of the most beautiful girls in her sorority.  She had frat boys basically fighting to get a date with her.  I think she is even MORE beautiful today.

I think they are purposely making these stoic faces. 

My mom and dad at their college graduation.

My mom and dad (on the right) with some of their good friends.

She was an amazing teacher to elementary aged children, preschoolers, and of course, her own 3 children.  She has a gift with children - she is funny, fun, and creative.  I remember always doing fun and creative art activities with my mom and I see her doing that with my niece, Caroline, now.

My "Backwards Birthday Party!"  How creative was that - my mom's idea, of course.  We all wore our clothes, hair, shoes, etc. backwards, the invitations were written out backwards (you had to place it up to a mirror to read the invitation), and every activity we did started out backwards.  For example, we ate cake before we sang Happy Birthday and it was the first activity of the party! 

So fun!  Great idea, mom!

My mom and my niece, Caroline, making gingerbread cookies last Christmas.

 She raised 3 children.  I just have one child and I am overwhelmed!  She did this 3 times and was the perfect mom to us - never complaining and always making sure we had the best opportunities in life.

The fam on a fun ski trip

My mom with her girls
Allison is on the left and I am on the right

My mom and dad with my brother, Clayton, and his wife, Tara. 

She stays very busy helping care for her elderly mother, spending time with her children, having fun with her grandchildren, volunteering, attending bible study, managing a home, and spending time with my dad. 
That's a lot of work and she handles all of it with such grace.

BB and Field

To my dear mom, Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday to you!  Thank you for being not only the very best mom I could ever dream of, but also for your dear friendship.  I love that we can cry and laugh together - all in the same conversation.  And I love the mother-daughter relationship that we have.  We love you and are so very thankful for you.  You are a blessing to so many and your beauty - on the inside and out - does NOT go unnoticed.  Hope you enjoy your special day!

This is HUGE!

Well, I guess it's not that HUGE, but it is huge for us (and it's a normal baby, non doctor, non heart related post!).  Field is a great sleeper - when he's asleep!  We cannot get him to learn how to fall asleep on his own.  Honestly, he's just full of energy and so very curious about the world around him that it takes A LOT of rocking, swaying, spinning, singing, etc. to get him to finally fall asleep for bedtime and naps.  Yikes - sounds like a lot of work, huh?  He didn't get the nickname HM (High Maintenance) for nothing!  :)  I have found that if I can catch his nap early enough - before he is too tired - I can rock him to sleep pretty quickly.  He'll usually sleep HARD for about 30 minutes and then he's awake and kicking around.  Now I know 30 minutes isn't really considered a nap (I'm reading the sleeping books and this is what they tell me), so I get all stressed and try to rock him back to sleep and he falls asleep, wakes right up, and it just becomes this vicious cycle until the next feeding, which by this time is usually right away!  Agh!  Well, today, our usual routine happened.  Fed Field, held him upright, played with him for about 20 minutes (have to hold upright due to reflux), and then took him to his room to rock him to sleep for his nap. He went right to sleep and slept 30 minutes and then was awake and kicking around.  I was eating lunch and pumping at the time and was just kind of annoyed that he woke up already.  Due to the fact that I was eating and pumping, there was no way I could rock him to sleep at that point in time, so I just put his paci in his mouth and let him lay there and kick around in his crib.  I went back in to check on him after about 15 minutes and he was sound asleep!  He didn't cry or fuss or anything!  I'm telling y'all, this is HUGE for us.  Probably normal stuff for most of you out there with babies, but my little HM here doesn't ever go to sleep on his own so I was thrilled that he did today.  We are going to keep working on getting him to fall asleep by himself, but somehow the "cry it out" method doesn't sit well for my heart baby.  If any of you heart moms have suggestions on how to get my little heart baby to sleep without going through the "crying it out" stage, I'd love to hear it.

Add More Peeps to our Team

We met with a Pediatric Developmental Nurse Practitioner today.  Most NICU babies have to see the developmental team at least once and it was recommended that we see the team at 5 months of age.  The appointment was at 1.  Not a good time for us, since Field usually takes his longest and best nap from about 12:30-3.  As we waited, this is how my poor baby was feeling...

 Angry!  :( 

Don't worry, he cheered right up once the NP finally came in.  We went over his history and she did the usual looks and comments of shock when I told her about Field's complex congenital heart defect.  I still get really offended when people make comments of shock and disbelief when I tell them about Field's heart - especially when the comments are coming from a medical professional.  Anywho, enough about that, she rolled out a mat, took Field out of my arms, and got right to it. 

Every. Single. Developmental. Milestone. MET with a big 'ole check-mark!  Good job, baby Field! 

She was shocked at how well he is doing and how "normal" he acts and looks.  In fact, he is even a little ahead for his age.  I'm not shocked at all.  In my eyes, he's a star and one of a kind. :) She kept telling me how great he is doing, how great he looks, and what a great job we are doing as his parents.  That was nice to hear. 

We talked a little about the upcoming surgery and we decided that Field will start working with a physical therapist and nutritionist now so that they can get to know him.  That way, after surgery, we can get started with physical therapy and feedings and hopefully, we won't get too far behind.  I thought this was a great idea and the best part is that these people will come work with Field in our home.  We can stay in our PJ's if we want!  Yippee!  I also like the idea of developing a relationship with the PT and Nutritionist now - when things are going smoothly - so that when we are home after surgery - we already feel comfortable with these new Team Field helpers.  

I was thinking today that if you told me a year ago when I was pregnant, that my son would have to receive so many medical services, I never would have believed you!  But we plow through and keep truckin' along and continue to be thankful for all the wonderful peeps that are on our team.

And I have a better picture to leave you with...

Field and his girlfriend, Anabelle.  I never did a blog post to welcome this precious girl into the world, but we just adore Anabelle and her parents.  Anabelle's mommy and I have already arranged a marriage for Field and Anabelle - Anabelle's mom refers to herself as Field's MIL (Mother-in-Law) and I refer to myself as Anabelle's MIL.  Ha!  We went for a walk yesterday with these two darlings and had a great time on a beautiful morning.

Anabelle's mommy has a heart condition so she is a heart buddy to Field.  She will be a great mentor to him as he grows up.  Thankful for that and for her - another peep on our team.  :)

Team Field = Success!

On Saturday, we participated in the San Antonio American Heart Association Start! Heart Walk...

For THIS guy...

In a matter of just 6 short weeks, our friend Courtney, helped us recruit 80 members for Team Field and we raised $2,704.00!  Simply amazing!  Every single participant on Team Field is a good friend of ours and that is such a testament to the love and support that surrounds us on this journey.  And I got confirmation that all of the money we raised for the AHA will support heart research and treatment for the city of San Antonio...this includes all heart issues, including congenital heart defects.  So for those of you that donated, know that your money will not only be used locally, but will help babies, children, and adults who were born with congenital heart defects and need specialized heart care. 

(I put both pics in because I like the way Field looks in the first pic

and I think Brad and I look better in the second pic!  Ha!)

When Brad and I arrived to the meeting spot (with Field, of course!), we noticed that everyone was wearing matching t-shirts.  The t-shirts were red and just adorable.  The front said Team Field with a heart and the back said, "I love Field."  I fought back the tears as more and more good friends and family showed up in these precious t-shirts to support us. 

We were blown away by all that came to walk with us - new friends, old friends (not age old, but time old - ha!), babies, children, family, and more.

It was so very special and we cannot express enough gratitude to all who came out to support us (and those that weren't able to make it, but still joined the team, texted, emailed, and called to wish us a fun and successful walk). 

We started out gathering as a group and the weather was a little chilly, but beautiful.  The group picture does not show all that walked with us.  Quite a few were late and missed the pic (hey, I can say that because if the event wasn't for us, we would have been late too!:) 

We had about 70 people walk for Field.

Afterwards, we fed the ducks at the park.

And finally, we stuck around for the awards ceremony - good thing, because we won an award! 

We received a plaque for raising the most money for the AHA out of all of the community teams in San Antonio. 

Way to go Team Field!  We had to go on stage and I made Courtney talk because I didn't know what to say and I knew that whatever I said would just end up not making sense and I would probably get teary and emotional.  Thanks for taking over the mic, Court!

I've been thinking a lot about how special and fun the walk was for us.  As much as I DON'T want Field to be the little guy we are all supporting because I would give ANYTHING for him to be heart healthy, I know that God provides.  He surrounds us with an incredibly loving and supporting group and we are grateful for that.  When you experience a circumstance like we are, you realize how meaningful the love and support from loved ones is.  So thank you to our dear friend Courtney for helping organize Team Field and to everyone else for supporting us during the walk. 

We are already looking forward to next year!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

The Johnsons have been so BUSY!  So you know what that means, a VERY long and VERY overdue blog post.  Settle in (if you have time!), grab a cup of coffee, and catch up with us!

The week leading up to Halloween was a crazy one.  We had one event after another and it was so much fun.  As Brad says, "Holidays are SO much more fun when you have a child!"  Ha!  So true! 

We started out with a visit to the pumpkin patch.  I think Field really enjoyed it.  What do you think?

                                 

Then we had a fun lunch with friends and babies.  All 5 of the babies will be in the Class of 2029!  I hadn't ever done the math on when Field would graduate high school, but there you have it. 

All 5 mommies are good friends from high school.

And all 5 babies will be BFF's too! 
In order from youngest to oldest: Anabelle, Mateo, Harper, Sutton, and Field 

The grandmommies are all close friends too! How special!

 

Field and Sutton...just 6 weeks apart.

I love this boy so much!

That same afternoon (yes, it made for a LONG, but fun day!) we went to a Halloween playdate with my dinner club group. All of the babies and child ren wore their cute costumes.  Field was our little lobster and he LOVED wearing his costume.

Field and his girlfriend, Anabelle. She was a hula girl. :)

All the cute Halloween babies!

Then we went to a Halloween playdate in Boerne with more good friends. There were babies and children of all ages.  The cool thing about this day was that we got to see our VERY special, new friends.  We met a sweet family when Field was born and in the NICU.  The Walkers had Mclain just one day after Field was born and he also had to be in the NICU for about as long as Field.  Erin and I and our hubbies bonded through the difficult experience of the NICU.  (I have a whole blog post to write someday about the heroic mommies of the NICU.)  Not only had we just given birth, we were dealing with surprising health issues, trying to learn how to breastfeed while our babies were hooked up to all kinds of wires and without much privacy, and then being discharged without our babies.  Erin has become so special to me and I am so thankful already for her real and true friendship.  I love that we have only known each other for a few months but we are honest with each other about the struggles of being a new mom and our back and forth texting is so fun!  Can't wait to hang out again, Erin and Mclain!   

Field and his mommy and Mclain and his mommy.

 

Best buds already! And Mclain's daddy is a professional golfer so we are hoping to get some free golf lessons for our Field one day soon. How soon can we teach our baby how to play golf, Jimmy?

We went to the Oak Hills Halloween party.  It was fun, but Field didn't last long after such a busy week!

He slept in his stroller through a few games of Bingo, a costume contest, and lots of music.  Impressive!

Finally, Halloween was here.  We had dinner and trick-or-treated with both sets of grandparents and my sister and her family.  The 3 cousins were dressed as an "under the sea" theme.  Cousin Caroline was a mermaid, Cousin Ellie was a crab, and Field was a lobster. 

Daddy, Field, and Caroline, the beautiful mermaid

Cookin' on the stove

Lobster!

The lobster and crab.  Sweet cousins!

"Mom, why'd you put me in a pot on the stove?!?!"   

Field and his grandmothers.  He is a lucky boy.  Aren't they pretty? 

Our first Halloween as a family of 3.

Love this sweet boy!

I'm exhausted today, but thankful for our fun and "normal" life lately.  :)  These are the things that I will never take for granted.  After all that we have been through and will continue to go through, I praise God for days when we forget about Field's heart and can enjoy life as "normal" with our precious son.  Thank you, God, for giving us a fun first Halloween!