Sometimes Life SUCKS!!!

So this past week Cam has been trying to conquer his cold, and I'm thinking it's on the downhill slide, so good news there! On a more sour note, my dad left for Iraq this past weekend. Well not really Iraq just yet. He is in Texas right now and will be there training for a month and then will fly to Iraq. Still he is gone and won't be back for a whole year. I thought last year when my dad told us he would be deployed in July 2011 that by the time it came around he would have a change in orders and would not have to go, but little did I know that my dad volunteered to go over seas. You see my dad is one of those men that has worked for everything he has. Did he make mistakes growing up...ABSOLUTELY, but the minute he turned 17 he enlisted in the US Army Reserves, and has been with them ever since. Usually when people serving have served their required four years, they move on or at least have another full time job and just do their one weekend a month requirement, but not my dad. He enlisted full time and his job was directly related to the Army. The type of job my dad does did not require him to serve in Iraq, but because my dad knew that others under him had served and looked up to him with respect that if he didn't go then how could he identify? Thus where we are today.

Today is a hard day for me. Today is the official day that my dad is gone. Yesterday Paul, Cam and I attended a ceremony in honor of the troops that are deploying, and most of them aren't leaving until Wednesday, but my dad chose to be on the advanced crew so that they could make sure everything is OK before the others go over. So today my dad boarded a plane and will be gone for no less than 12 months. Possibly more. This weekend was hard. I watched my dad tear up as he kissed Cameron goodbye, something I have seen my dad do only twice. Once when my grandpa(his dad) passed away, and once when Cameron was born. So seeing my dad become vulnerable only made this that much harder. Cameron could do no wrong in my dad's eyes. He loves him so much and I know that not seeing him for a year must be really difficult for him, and for one minute he admitted that he didn't want to go. Talk about a sob fest!

I guess today I'm just sad. Sad that my dad is in Iraq, where people get killed. I'm also sad that my sweet Cam won't get to see his grandpa for a long time. I'm sad that I won't see my dad for a whole year. I'm sad that crappy things keep happening to me.......I know, I know, this is starting to sound like a whoa is me type complaint, but it kinda is. I am either having some shitty luck or this is my season in which God is testing me. And God if this is you testing me, then could you go ahead and get the freak on with it? I'll be glad to do whatever, but just give it to me all at one time. These events that keep occurring in my life have got to start improving right??? But then again I go back to how grateful I should be. I should be so grateful and proud that my dad is fighting for our freedom and that I get to be a part of such an amazing mans life. I should be grateful that in less than a month my precious Cam who has had the craziest life will be one! I should be grateful that I have an amazing family and friends who are so supportive and whom I love dearly. AND I AM GRATEFUL. But I'm also sad. And tomorrow will be different...better, I hope! Tomorrow my dad will have been gone for over a day, and tomorrow will be one more day that has passed and one more day closer to his return. I know this.. I know time heals and that time goes so fast, so tomorrow will be better.....BUT TODAY SUCKS!

Snot in July

Well if anyone can have a cold in July apparently it's my kid. My poor Cam can't catch a break. He got his pesky tubes put in about two weeks ago, and low and behold shortly after got yet another ear infection. Lot's of yucky stuff draining from his ears....luckily the Dr. says that because of the tubes it won't cause him alot of discomfort, so I guess that is a positive? And of course with every ear infection there comes the plethora of snot. Just pools of it, and the coughing. So my sweet little boy is sick. You know I can handle multiple surgeries, and I can handle the anticipation of more surgeries, but where does the list of bad things end? I mean, it's not like his immune system isn't getting stronger. I don't keep him secluded except for the weeks leading up to a surgery, I load him up on probiotics, I make sure to expose him to germs so that he can build a tolerance, and I also know when to break out the germ-x. So rationally he should not be sick in July, or at least he should get the runny nose, and a few days later be able to fight it off, but no, not my Cam. Instead it's about a two week process to get back to where snot isn't a part of our daily routine.

I guess I need to be grateful that for the most part when he gets a little virus like this that his body is usually able to fight it without a ton of meds. He continues to get the ones that are part of his daily routine, but we try to get him all better without always resorting to steroids and breathing treatments. Mostly because I think that allowing his body to get over the virus without too many interventions is the key to him not getting sick as often. Maybe my theory is totally wrong, but I guess that is just how I rationalize not getting him on any more meds than the ones are completely necessary!

Today has just been one of those day where venting about my sick kid is what I need to do. I love my sweet Cam, but I hate days like today. I hate that not only does he have to be sick, but because his anatomy is so different it takes such a tole on his little body....and mommies. Hopefully as he gets older these minor illnesses will seem even more minor and life will function a little more normal. But for now...anyone have a xanax? :)

Tubes are in!

So this week has been busy. Monday was the 4th of July, and we celebrated with great friends, but Tuesday morning I woke up to one very unhappy Cam. He was running a pretty high fever and just being super cranky, so after giving some mommy love and some Tylenol I decided to call the Docs just to see what they suggested. And of course they wanted me to go all the way to Winston to the ED, since he has a shunt. Well I didn't think he was having a shunt malfunction, but anytime that he gets a fever and it can't be explained then they want to see him. So I called Paul and the three of us headed down the mountain.

We arrived at the ED and spent all day there just to receive news that he must have a little virus because all of his blood work was fine and he wasn't acting like a shunt malfunction. So after we spent 7 hours in the hospital, we left only to stay the night in Winston at a friends house because Cam had appointments early the next morning. So we stayed the night at my friend Catie's house and the next morning went to see the ENT for what we thought would be a cancellation of tube surgery since he had been running a fever and apparently had some virus.

When we got to the ENT's office we were surprised to learn that she wanted to still proceed with putting tubes in the following day and doing a hearing test. She assured us that everything should be just fine, and that even if he had a fever that it would be such a minor procedure that everything would be ok. So we were set with a time of arrival for 6 am the following morning and sent on our way.

We decided that since Cam sleeps horribly away from home especially when he doesn't feel well that we would just drive home and return the next morning....today. So this morning at 4 a.m we got up and headed out. We arrived at surgical waiting at 6 and we were in the O.R. holding room by 7. They took Cameron back around 7:45 and by 10:30 we were heading home with one groggy Cam, with new tubes and a hearing test that had come back saying he has PERFECT HEARING!!! That was awesome news, seeing as how we were prepared for them to at least say he had some minor hearing loss, I mean that is super common with this syndrome, so for him to get a great hearing test result we were super pleased.

Now it's bedtime, and I have one sweet little boy downstairs in his crib snoozing away. I am super exhausted, but glad that we have one more procedure out of the way. But I know we still have many more to come, so I'm making a list of what the rest of 2011 brings as far as surgeries for Mr. Cam. Hopefully everything will go as smoothly as today went, and We can get to next year and maybe have some much needed surgery free time! Thanks for all of your well wishes and prayers for our family as we continue on this journey. Even though things like today are minor compared to things he has already been through I can't help but wish that he didn't have to have any of this and that his life and ours could be easier....but I just hold onto the love that I have for my sweet Cam and know that everyday I become stronger because of him!

Upcoming surgeries to tweak my Cam:
1.July- Possible Hydrocele/Hernia repair and circumcision
2.August- Above surgery if it doesn't happen in July
3. September- Cams first hand surgery
4. October- Cams cast come off, and possible second hand surgery
5. November- Possible second hand surgery/toe separation
6. December- Possible hand/foot surgery.

Hopefully we can get all of these in in the remaining year, that way next year can be a little less surgery and a little more fun!

It's the 4th of July

So it's been awhile since I've posted.....not alot has been happening, but this past holiday weekend we were busy, busy, busy!!! The festivities began Friday when our friends the Helms from Charlotte came to visit. They went to school with Paul and I at Appalachian, but Chelsea and I met working at a summer camp that we both did for about 3 years! They were married the June before Paul and I got married in December and they had their first child, Addie Grace on August 7Th, a week before Cam made his big debut! They came up to visit and we had such a fun time. We had my mom come and babysit the kiddos Friday night so we could have some "adult time" and we went out for a nice dinner and drinks! Then Saturday came and before they headed back to Charlotte we went to the Blowing Rock parade. Then we said goodbye and our friends headed home.

Then we had about a 2 hour break before we got ready and headed to another set of friends house to enjoy a cookout and fireworks. We had alot of fun, and Cam got to play with his BFF Stella whom he loves very much. He also got some quality time with our friends his aunt Jamie and uncle T and aunt Ashley and Uncle Daniel. He is one loved little boy, and I must say that it warms my heart to have my friends care so much about our precious Cam!

After those festivities, we woke up the next morning and headed to church, and then that evening just had some quiet family time, and rested up for Monday, the actual 4th. Monday, we went to the Boone parade, and then last night finished our day with the Bethel Blast. This is a regular 4th of July event that has free food, good music, and a wonderful fireworks display! We went with our friends Ashley and Daniel and their baby Stella, and we had a wonderful time. Cam loved the fireworks and even though he won't remember it, it made a wonderful memory for Paul and I.

Now it's Tuesday and we are resting up because the rest of the week brings more chaos. On Thursday Cam is getting Tubes in his ears, so we are heading down to Winston tomorrow so that we can see the Dr. and be there bright and early Thursday morning for what will hopefully be a very uneventful procedure. One of many I'm sure my sweet boy will need to have! I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th and please say a prayer this week for my sweet boy on Thursday!