Just an update

It's been quite a while since I posted, so I figured it was time to give everyone an update on the Clan!

Yesterday was Easter, and I managed to get not ONE single picture of my kids! I'm pretty sure this is the first year I've spaced things off so badly. Jordan was sick all day the Saturday before with a stomach bug - not too much fun, and she was still pretty queasy Easter morning. So while she was laying low, Maddie hunted some eggs the Bunny had hidden around the house, and checked out all her cool goodies in her "spa pedicure" Easter Basket. (Jordan got an identical one, and got more excited about it later in the day, once she felt better.) Cody first threw up all over himself and his daddy (more on his health issues in a minute), then got angry when we tried to show him his Easter goodies, and then proceeded to fall back asleep. He woke up a little happier, and a little less pukey, and then he liked his cars from his Basket. His favorite, though, were the toy guns and tools Grandma and Grandpa Clugston got him!!

Later in the day, everyone was feeling pretty good, so we went up to Christy's dad's place for a big family Easter get-together. We all had SO much fun (Thanks so much for inviting us, Christy!!) The kids played and played, hunted eggs, rode on the tractor, and did I mention played, while the adults got to visit, relax, and eat some really yummy food. Oh, and we were treated to some awesome live entertainment to boot! Even though our Easter started out a little shaky, it ended up being really enjoyable and fun. (Thanks for sharing your pictures, Christy!)

Christy's dad, Dan, gave the little ones rides on his tractor. Cody was lovin' every minute of it!! And Maddie was giving everyone the "Miss America" wave when she rode past.

I'd say Maddie fared pretty well with her egg hunt! I can't believe how many eggs they had for the kids - it was so much fun!!

Here are all the kiddos after the Easter Egg Hunt! Cody was not interested in hunting eggs, nor in having his picture taken, for that matter!

Now today we are back to the grind (sort of.) Jordan woke up with a sick stomach again, so she's home from school. Maddie is still feeling good (she had the stomach bug last Wednesday). Dad is still recovering from a nasty fall he had last Wednesday (that was not a good day for our family!) He is feeling quite a bit better now. Mom was the one who kicked off the stomach bug last weekend, and is feeling fine now.

Here is Jordan taking it easy on the couch today. Even though she wasn't feeling good, she still managed a smile for the camera.

(I just bought this shirt for Cody Saturday, and I couldn't resist putting it on him today!)

As for Mr. Cody-Man, things sometimes feel like a roller-coaster ride. We took him to his appointment at UNM Pediatric Clinic in Albuquerque last month, where he was diagnosed with acid reflux and prescribed Zantac. In addition, they sent us with orders for a whole bunch of lab tests, which we had done at the hospital here in Farmington. The Zantac seemed to work right away, eliminating his vomiting completely, and helping with his diarrhea.

We were very hopeful that this was a quick and easy fix for all his problems, and felt extremely relieved that he would be able to start eating and gaining weight again. We were pretty disappointed when we got the call from the doctor's office with lab results showing that Cody has an extremely inflamed bowel (a result of 120 or less is normal, and his was 1300.) As a result, he needs a colonoscopy and endoscopy, which has been scheduled for this Wednesday afternoon at the UNM Children's Hospital. It is an outpatient procedure, so he will get to go home that evening (or to Aunt Mendie's house, I should say, where we'll be staying.) He will have to be under general anesthesia for the whole thing, which is good in that he won't know/remember what happened, but is a little scary at the same time. Also, he started his "bowel prep" process this morning, which means he's given laxative in the a.m. and p.m. (odd to have to do that to a little guy suffering from chronic diarrhea!) He will do the same laxative schedule tomorrow, as well as being on clear liquids only all day, and then Wednesday he has to do a complete fast from 10:00 a.m. until after the procedure is over. The poor guy is going to be miserable! Hopefully, though, this will give us some insight into what is going on. The doctor will be able to tell us what he SAW with the scope immediately, but we'll have to wait for the biopsy results, which take a week or so to come in. Basically, they're trying to determine what is inflaming his bowel so badly, and if it is an acute issue that can be treated and resolved, or if it is something chronic, such as Crohn's Disease.

As if that weren't enough, he went on an eating strike this past Thursday, and literally only ate a few nibbles of food all day Thursday and Friday. We were concerned, especially with his bowel prep procedure so close, so Saturday morning I took him to Urgent Care where he was diagnosed with a double ear infection. He finished his Z-pack today, and although he still wouldn't eat at all over the weekend, he did show signs of an appetite this morning, so that is a big relief! The poor little guy is only 20 pounds, so he can't afford to lose any more.

I think that's all for now. I will post again after we learn more!