Brokeback's back update

Took Brokeback to the doctor this morning for his first "pain management" shots in the back. My mother was kind enough to come and watch the kids til 8:30 and go to work a little late, until our precious babysitter Lindsey came over.

The wait prior to the appointment was very nerve wracking. Got there 30 mins early and Ron was called back 30 mins late. The waiting room was FULL of patients and their drivers.

Took an hour and a half after he went back. They gave him an IV to numb the pain, I guess. I don't think it helped much. The shot was quick. Went through his back to his pelvis.

He is in a great deal of pain right now and is asleep. I will update later on whether it actually worked or not. Please pray that it did!

Thank you so much for all of the information and referrals everyone provided. We did not wait to go through the VA. We went back to Dr. McCarty and he was able to get Brokeback into the pain management doctor the two days later. He has an appointment with the neurosurgeon Janurary 12th.

H's First Haircut

We let H's hair grow his entire life. It was very cute with longish curls in the back. All of the sudden the "curls" turned into frizz. And it was long over the ears. So we took him to a barber shop for his first haircut. Very sad experience. I have his little blond curls in an envelope. They will go into his baby book, of course.

H did not get upset during his first hair grooming experience. When she would use the scissors he would say "Ow," as he heard her clip, but that was it. Afterward Daddy got his haircut and since we were the only folks in the place the kids enjoyed running in and out of the kitchen and bathroom.

Viva

Brokeback and I just got back from a trip to Las Vegas for our 5 year anniversary! We had a GREAT time! Brokeback was actually there all week as his regional meeting was there. This was his first trip to Vegas and he definitely enjoyed it. He won a ton of money playing blackjack and upgraded our room to a suite. VERY nice surprise!

So we have restaurants to recommend. The SW Steakhouse at the Wynn was the best steak we have ever had! Bone in ribeye all the way. And sit outside because there is a cool show around the waterfall every 30 mins.

We saw friends from Houston and ate at the Burger Bar on Friday afternoon. We really enjoyed that and the Kobe beef burger melts in your mouth!

We also ate at Sensi at Bellagio. Really good! Then we went to O. My mom bought us tickets for our anniversary! Amazing show! We also went to the tournament of kings at Excalibur. Food was similar to that of Evans Middle School cafeteria on William H. Evans Day. But the show was good and we were quite entertained by the screaming and cheering of a 6th grade girl behind us.

CAT Scan

Brokeback got the results of his CAT scan. He has two bulging discs and the bottom two discs of his spine are degenerating. This is what is causing the terrible back pain.

The VA is going to set him up for a consult with a neurosurgeon. I have found out who a good doctor here in Lubbock is, too, so I will try and make an appointment with him for Brokeback, also. Thanks to all who emailed recommendations to me so quickly!

Please keep praying for Brokeback and our family about this! Chronic pain is a terrible thing is many ways.

Thanksgiving Feast

Today was the Thanksgiving Feast at Syd and H's school. It was very nice. A presentation in song by the 3 and 4 year old classes was enjoyed by all prior to the feast. Then we all ate turkey and dressing. H actually had fries, a hamburger patty and some green beans. Syd had chicken, fries, a sprite and green beans thanks to her Gigi and Burger King.

Daddy was unable to attend so Gigi and Aunt Morgy were kind enough to leave work and join us. Here are some pics:

The little baker

Syd and I baked our first cake together last night. What is called a dump cake. A friend online talks about making them quite a bit, and when I subbed in Syd's class last week they had some at her school. So good. Brokeback and I loved it but Syd took one bite and spit it out!


All gussied up, posing with her ingredients.


Serious stirring


Loving to lick the batter! She kept trying to dip the mixer back ino the bowl to get more.


Her finished product! She touched the pan while it was hot and it scared her, hence the upset face.

South Plains Fair 2007

While I was enjoying a weekend in Ruiodoso my parents took the kids to the fair. They had a great time and got many compliments on their fancy wagon.

Pumpkin Patch 2007

Here are some pics from our trip to the pumpkin patch this year. It was big fun. We went with our friends from church. I just got the pics as they were on my mom's camera!

H-Dubya absolutely loved the wagons. It made the whole trip worth it for him. I am not sure Lauren wanted his help.

Syd and friend Katie.

Pray for Brokeback!

Ron has had chronic back pain in his lower back (mainly left side) for 2 months!

He went to the VA. Went to another dr. Was prescribed muscle relaxers. I researched and bought homeopathic pain relief. Went to a chiropractor and is getting adjustments and accupuncture at my request. Nothing is really helping. So the VA sent him to Amarillo to get an MRI today. It was a quick trip. Took about ten minutes once we got through the drive, two hours there, and two hours back.

We will find something out in 5 days. I am praying that it is the type of thing that can be fixed without surgery. Please pray with me that the pain stops and he won't need any type of surgery.

Halloweens Past

Here are some pictures from the Halloweens the kids have celebrated in the past. Thought it would be fun to look back.



Syd was a jaguar for her first Halloween. She was about 9 months old. Nana and Paw Paw sent the costume before she was ever born! It was so cute and made a growling noise when the nose was squeezed.

H was only 2 months old on his first Halloween so he wore a comfy pumpkin suit. Syd was Nemo.





Syd was too proud of her Nemo suit! Wanted everyone to see a full body shot with the tail.

This Halloween they were Cinderella and Yoda. Syd was going to be Princess Leia but the costume I ordered was too small. We let her decide what to be instead and Cinderella was no surprise.

I hate food allergies.

As many of you know my precious baby boy has had quite the snotty nose and on occasion a terrible amount of wheezing. The allergist put him on Zyrtec and wanted us to give him Pulmicort and Xopenex through a nebulizer nightly. I am not a fan of giving a baby that much medication so through prayer and research we decided to take H to a doctor that has a more homeopathic approach.

Upon our first visit the doctor told us that if a baby is having asthmatic symptoms or is diagnosed with asthma it is usually food allergies. Either dairy or corn. Both suck. Dairy is self explanatory and corn and corn syrup is in ALL of H's favorite snacks.

Upon testing he is allergic to dairy. And corn. And wheat. And garlic. So we were to not feed him any of these foods or any food that might contain a dirivitive there of for 2 weeks. Then we could give one of these foods to Hayden on a Monday, then a Friday, and see if it is causing the terrible asthma type symptoms. If it does cause wheezing, etc. we are to not give him that food again for a couple of months.

H is just furious about the change in his diet. He has adjusted to soy and rice milk easy enough, but the lack of cheese is truly killing him. He screams and whimpers and moans at the start of every meal when he isn't given cheese or some sort of teddy graham. He eats bananas, apples and grapes in the morning. Lots of applesauce. Some soy yogurt. Some brown rice bread that is sweetened with fruit juices with honey on it. French fries until he is blue in the face. Hayden is on a meat strike because of all of this. If he accidentally puts a piece of chicken in his mouth instead of a fry he scrapes his tongue and spits it out ASAP. He has had fries only 2 out of the 3 nights this week.

I purchased some new foods today hoping he will find a new favorite. I bought sunbutter. Like peanut butter made out of sunflowers? We will find out his verdict on that one tomorrow. Some sort of cereal with bananas and peaches. I hope he likes that one as it was expensive. Potato chips.

Anywho, we will try wheat on Monday. Pray it's a winner!

Our new house

I know many of you have already come to our new house, so this is more for those folks who live out of town.



And when I say new, we have actually lived here for two or three months. But we still aren't totally moved in.....I digress........

October was a big month

October was a big month for the Lowe's. Let's reflect on the top 3 events:

1. Syd is finally potty trained. Two months short of three years of age. It has been an uphill battle, to be sure. Many told me that she would do it when she was ready, but in my heart I know without that final shove she would still be wearing diapers and proud of it.


2. H is walking. He began taking steps at the first of October, but it took until now for it to become his primary mode of transportation. He beat his sister by a week or two, I think. Late walkers I tell you.


3. We took our first family vacation as a family of four. Brokeback had an inventory in San Antonio so we tagged along. We really lived it up, going to the zoo, Sea World with Nicole, Chris and Ashton, Rainforest Cafe, river boat rides, the works. The kids were sooooooo good. Even the car ride there and back was a breeze! Pictures to commemorate the experience are included.

My first blog

So these seem to be the big thing nowadays. I thought I would start one so the world would know all about the exciting goings on of the Lowe family.

Right now the kids and I are watching Ice Age in our pjs. Daddy is out of town til tommorrow and we just can't wait for his return! We went to eat at Chili's with Gigi and Morgy earlier and H was in rare form, throwing anything he could get his hands on, shouting no, and throwing a fit if anyone tried to go to the bathroom or leave the table for any reason. As I sit here Syd is trying to force feed me fake food. I guess she isn't as interested in the movie as I thought. I tried to tell her I am full since we just ate but it isn't going over well. Pics above chronicle said event.