Christmas 2008

We had a wonderful, relaxing Christmas at home this year.

Andy has always loved Christmas. We have a houseful of decorations, tons of lights outside and this year, even two live trees. I've started to warm up to it all but I still wondered, is all the effort worth it?

Then Bryce entered my life and Christmas (along with other holidays) have become magical. To see the delight and joy that Bryce experiences when he sees a Christmas tree, Santa, reindeer, x-mas lights or hears holiday music has been amazing! It's especially adorable when we ask Bryce what Santa says and he says, "Ho, ho, ho."

Granted, we started reading the Polar Express book and watching the movie in August. I was hoping that Bryce might warm up to the idea of Santa so that he would sit on his lap. Not happening this year! Bryce was intrigued but completely petrified of sitting on Santa's lap. Oh well. Bryce still fell in love with many aspects of Christmas due to Polar Express!

This year, we were also blessed to share Christmas with my best friend, Emily. Emily came in on Christmas Eve and stayed until Dec 27th. Somehow, we both had the same idea of a pajama Christmas, because both Emily and I surprised each other with the same gift--new pajamas for everyone! From Christmas Eve until late afternoon on Christmas day, we spent the entire holiday in our new pajamas. We ate, drank, opened gifts, played with toys and enjoyed Christmas through the eyes of a child.

Here is Bryce opening his first present on Christmas Eve (his new pajamas!)

Bryce watching Polar Express. It's Santa and the reindeer.

Luckily, Bryce feel asleep early on Christmas Eve night!

Andy and Emily spent three hours putting together a kitchen that had over 100 pieces.

One of the first things Bryce saw Christmas morning was a train set. He was so excited about the train that he didn't really care about any other presents!

Although, he eventually went to check out the other stuff by the tree.

Playing with his new train set on Christmas day.

Bryce loved playing with Emily!

Even Brody got to enjoy some gifts.

Here are some of the lights from Randolph. We really enjoyed the "airplane lighthouse" and Christmas tree lit up on base.

Christmas '08 Videos

Bryce's first gift--a train set.


Brody's Stocking.


Bryce playing with a "Thomas the train" boat from Uncle Scott. (With some dorky commentary from Lisa. Although Bryce does say, "Ho, ho, ho")


Watching the train go around the tree.

Wurstfest & Playing Football

We went to Wurstfest in November. Wurstfest is a German festival held in New Braunfels about 20 minutes from San Antonio (many Germans in this part of Texas). Bryce fit right in with his mama's German blond hair!

Bryce LOVED this waterfall at the park. I was surprised he wasn't scared of the loud rushing water; instead he was fascinated by it.

Bryce in the carrier with daddy.

Listening to music and interacting with the band.

Playing football. Pure joy.

In this video, Bryce saw some boys playing football with a dad and decided to joined them. He had just gotten the ball when I started this clip. I'm sorry that you get to hear so much of me laughing--I was just having so much fun watching Bryce trying to play football with the boys!

Halloween Pictures

Halloween on base housing is awesome! I have began to love Halloween since we started living on base. Many people decorate their house; we put up some orange and ghost lights! For trick or treat, there are lots of children and you feel very safe with the military police and base safety out on patrol. We all had a great time!

Here is Andy as the conductor and Bryce as the little engineer.

Bryce loved the candy. Since he couldn't eat any of it, we tried to teach him to give the candy out to all the trick or treaters. For the most part it worked. Later in the night, he did try to eat the candy; right through the wrapper!


At a parenting group Halloween party. Bryce loved the costumes and kids!

Running with the kids.

Making a Jack-o-Lantern with daddy.

Andy's Next Assignment

Andy was recently notified that he was selected to attend an in-residence professional military school. He'll be attending the Army's Command and General Staff College for a year starting in July '09. The school is located at Ft. Leavenworth in Kansas so we'll all move there in June '09.

Andy was initially hoping to go to the Navy school in Rhode Island and we were excited about the possibility of being on the East coast. However, the Navy cut the number of slots available to the Air Force, so instead, Andy received his second choice, the Army school. This is still an amazing accomplishment seeing that only about 10% of Air Force officers are selected to attend an in-residence school in the first place. Of that 10%, only 5% are selected to a joint school, like the Army school.

We were "Kansans" at our last assignment in Wichita and have some great friends still there. Ft. Leavenworth is located about 30 minutes from Kansas City in a beautiful hilly part of the state. It may only be for a year but we still look forward to seeing old friends in Wichita and exploring Kansas City. As always, you are welcome to visit us wherever the military decides to take us!

Reserve Inspection & Nanna/Bampa Visit

Within a few days of getting back from Cincinnati, I had to work 9 out of 11 days at my Reserve unit. When I first joined the Reserves two years ago, I was named the project officer for a major inspection that our unit hadn't gone through in 20 years. This past weekend (Oct 18/19), it was finally time for the inspectors to grade our unit. Thanks to some really talented and hard working people, our unit not only passed the inspection but got a 95% Outstanding Rating. We were ecstatic!

After struggling to maintain my Reserve status these past two years with Bryce's health issues, it was especially gratifying to be there when the unit received the great rating. I am so thankful to my commander for letting me take a leave a absence during Bryce's first year and to TSgt Christina Reyna who left her three children at home many nights and weekends preparing for the inspection. Of course, I never could have done it without my own family support. I am so thankful to Andy for single parenting it on the weekends, my godparents help/encouragement and Andy's parents visits.

In fact, it was Andy's parents who came to San Antonio for a week to care for Bryce while I worked the crazy hours leading up to the inspection. Thankfully, I think they truly enjoyed being with Bryce for a week and I know Bryce loved it (Brody too!). Below are some pictures from their trip here.

The first two pictures are from a corn maze that Andy and his parents went to. Bryce LOVED being able to touch and play with the gears of the tractor.

Bampa feeding the goats with Bryce.

Bryce continues to like sports. With Nanna and Bampa here, he loved playing baseball with a team. This time, before he would bat, he always got Bampa's hat. It was hilarious and adorable.


Here is Nanna with Bryce at the Zoo. He enjoyed running up and down a small creek, getting wet.

Like Father, Like Son

As some of you know, Andy likes to play video games. It used to be mostly flying-related games like Microsoft Flight Simulator but he recently got the new Nintendo Wii. I used to think that I might be able to keep Bryce "shielded from the negative influences" of video games but I've finally realized that life father, like son. Bryce loves to pretend he is playing the games with Andy. In this video clip, Andy is playing a children's cow game.

Mimi and Cleveland Visit

After we were in Cincinnati most of the week, we drove up to Mentor to spend the weekend with Andy's family. Originally, we were going for Barbara's 60th birthday party (Andy's mom). However, on Tuesday evening of the week we were in Cinci, Andy's grandmother (Barbara's mom) passed away.

We will miss Mimi. She was a very special woman who loved and cherished all of her family. Andy was so lucky to grow up with Mimi in his life on a daily basis since her house was only a block away. We also feel blessed that Bryce got to know his great-grandmother. The picture below is from Jan 08.



Aunt Becky enjoying some love from Bryce.

Bampa showing Bryce how to keep the train on the track.

Uncle Kevin chillen with Bryce.

Uncle Scott on train duty.

Fun Cinci Pictures

Thankfully, while we were in Cincinnati, it wasn't all medical testing at the hospital. We also got to enjoy time with family and friends. Below are some of the pictures.

I love this picture of Bryce!

My sister Colette with her boyfriend, Simon, and his niece, Harmony. Colette brought Harmony to the hotel twice during our Cinci visit to play with Bryce.

Bryce and Harmony playing together. Harmony is only 3 days younger then Bryce!


Andy taught my dad and his family how to play "crud" at Dave and Buster's. Crud is a boisterous contact game played on a pool table. It is a popular game in the Air Force, especially among pilots. After about 30-minutes of running around the pool table pushing two balls across the table, Dave and Buster's finally broke up the game.

Bryce with my sister, Kylene.

My brother, Rian, Bryce, my dad and Kylene at Dave and Buster's playing a video game.

One of my best friends, Liz, came to the hotel to visit us. Below is a picture with Liz, her husband, Jeff, and 13-month old son, John.

My mom and Bryce at a park in Wilmington, Ohio. They had fun feeding the geese together.

Cincinnati Medical Pictures

Here are some pictures from the procedures while we were at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. For the most part, Bryce did pretty well in the hospital. Of course, when they would restrain him or do things that hurt, he cried. But Bryce's personality shined through even at the hospital. My favorite was when they would transport Bryce somewhere. He would always sit on my lap and no matter how tired he was or how many things were hooked up to him, he would always wave and smile at the people in the hallway. He also blew kisses to all the women (and a few men). The women just loved it. Many said it made their day and thought Bryce was just the cutest! He's such a flirt and knows how to get attention:)

Here is the picture of Bryce and I in the hospital room. For the two days that we were in the hospital, I was ATTACHED to Bryce on the hospital bed.

Here is a close up of Bryce. You can see the feeding tube down his nose with tape ALL around it because Bryce tried very hard to pull it out. On his left arm is the IV with a board to keep his arm straight and more tape to keep it in place. Since he was so determined to pull at the IV and tube, we even had to put a restraint on his right arm to keep him from pulling at everything!

This is a picture of the patches they put on Bryce's back that he kept on for 48 hours. Each of the 30 circles contain a small amount of food. The edges of the tape are starting to fold up and the purple numbers are to read the rows once the tape is gone.

A very tired Andy.

More Results, More Questions

The Eosinophilic GI doctor from Cinci called yesterday to give us some more test results. First, the disaccharide intolerance test (explained at post below) came back negative. The doctor wants to test Bryce for Celiac Disease just so we can rule it out as a possibility. From Bryce's blood work came a few things that we need to follow-up with his pediatrician. His white blood cell count was somewhat low so we need to get more labs. Also, a liver enzyme named ALT came back a little elevated so we need to repeat this test. The doctor also suggested that Bryce be evaluated for seizures -- just in case that is what is causing his waking.

Although the results sound scary at first, we're really not too worried right now. We'll definitely follow-up on the labs just to rule out anything but we're not going to be real aggressive about the seizure possibility. To be honest, we are a little tired of doctors and putting our baby through so many tests. Once the official results from Cinci get here, we'll consult with Bryce's pediatrician and go from there. Right now, we just want to let Bryce be a kid and start eating food.

Test Results

We met with the doctors on Thursday and Friday to hear most of Bryce's test results. To sum up everything, the test results mostly eliminated things that are currently not affecting Bryce. We do still have some unanswered questions. We went to Cinci for their internationally-known Eosinophilic Center and for the most part, we're able to answer that piece comprehensively.

First, the scopes revealed that Bryce's GI tract looks healthy and eosinophils were NOT found in his stomach, intestines or esophagus. That is the GREAT news. Unfortunately, we don't know if his GI tract is clear because he doesn't have an Eosinophilic Disorder or if it's because he's been on an elemental (hypoallergenic) diet for over a year. So, the next step is to start food trials and hope the eosinophils don't show up on future scopes.

Second, due to the past foods that Bryce has failed, the GI doctor thought Bryce might not be able to digest carbohydrates properly. He tested Bryce for a disaccharide intolerance and we should have those results in about a week. Apparently, this isn't the only test for a carbohydrate malapsorbtion issue so even if this comes back negative it won't mean it's not still an issue for Bryce. The best test will be to start giving him carbohydrates and see how he reacts. If he starts reacting to all carbohydrates, then we'll do further testing.

Third, the impedance probe showed that Bryce does not have reflux; neither acidic or non-acidic reflux. The doctors also reviewed that previous impedance probe results and concurred that reflux was also not present during the April test. Unfortunately, the Eosinophilic GI doctor didn't have the expertise to comment on the previous probe results that said Bryce had perceived pain upon swallowing or the possibility of functional esophagatis.

Finally, the only thing that showed up positive with the allergy testing was corn when we did the patch testing. The allergist said allergy testing is only 50% accurate and the best test is to just see how Bryce reacts when he eats something. The purpose of the allergy testing is a starting place when we do food trials. Needless to say, we'll stay away from corn for a while.

After all of the testing, we met with the dietitian to form a food plan. This was one of our main goals in traveling to Cincinnati and are excited to have a GI doctor and dietitian that will help manage food trials with Bryce. As we have learned over time, we have to be very deliberate and systematic when trying new foods. We also left with a specific checklist of things to look for if he starts failing a food and can consult with Cinci when/if he starts to fail. We'll introduce one new food about every two weeks and we'll keep a food diary to track intake and reactions. We are very excited to start feeding Bryce!!!

Although we knew we wouldn't walk away from Cinci with any miracles, it was a bit frustrating to leave without more answers. However, we do have someone to manage food trials and have the possibility to take away diagnosis over time! If Bryce can tolerate foods, we'll be able to remove an eosinophilic disorder from Bryce's medical records and I think we can now rule out reflux as a current problem. The search continues to find out if Bryce is truly having pain upon swallowing or if he has functional esophagitus. In the mean time, we're going to work with an Occupational Therapist to see if we can't lengthen Bryce's sleeping times.

Thank you ALL for your prayers, thoughts and good wishes as we made the journey to Cinci. We really appreciate our family who helped at the hospital and visited with us throughout the week! It was certainly humbling to be at a children's hospital where there are children much more sick then Bryce. We are thankful that he is growing, developing and happy despite some GI challenges.

Easier, Fun Day

Since we were discharged from the hospital, things have calmed down and we've all had a chance to have some fun. Wednesday, the only medical-related thing we had to do was an Education and Lab Tour of the Eosinophilic Center. While Andy and I received some really good information and saw their cool research lab, Bryce was with my dad and sister at the Zoo. Bryce had a GREAT time at the zoo with the animals, other kids, a 3-D movie, his aunt and grandpa! That afternoon, he took a 3-hour nap.

Andy and I enjoyed some time without Bryce during the education event. We also got to go out for dinner ALONE both Tuesday and Wednesday evenings thanks to my sisters, Renee and Colette.

Thursday we meet with the doctor to get test results. We're not sure if we'll get all of the results but hopefully we'll start to get some answers (or eliminate possible conditions!).

Testing as an Inpatient

The past 48 hours have been busy since I last posted. The "clean out" procedures for his colonoscopy didn't go very well since Bryce refused to drink the laxative that was to get the process started. The doctor finally decided to admit Bryce to the hospital Sunday evening which was the beginning of our inpatient stay that didn't end until about 48 hours later.

The "clean out" involved starting an IV to ensure he stayed hydrated and a NG tub through his nose to his stomach to give him the "easy going" liquid. Bryce was pretty miserable and tired once all of this was hooked up and fell asleep about 11 PM in the hospital bed with me. About every 2 hours, he would wake up screaming, go the bathroom (I'll spare you the details), we'd clean all of us up and then he'd fall back to sleep for another 2 hours. By morning, he was certainly clean.

Monday morning we met the GI doc and his nurse for our initial visit. He took a history and talked about the week's events. Then, Monday afternoon, Bryce was put under general anesthesia for the first time to undergo the endoscopy and colonoscopy. Visually, the GI tract looked good but we won't have the biopsy results until Thursday.

Just when we thought we were going to be discharged, it was decided just before the scopes to keep Bryce as an inpatient for another 24 hours to do an impedance probe test. The impedance test is the same one we did in April and it was decided to redo it since Cinci does thousands of these so they have the expertise to interpret the results. This test will show us how often Bryce is refluxing. The probe was inserted into Bryce's esophagus while Bryce was asleep during the scopes and he kept it in until this afternoon (about 24 hours).

Bryce continued this morning with the previously scheduled Allergy Testing even with the impedance probe in place. The visit this morning consisted of an initial appointment with the allergist, skin testing and placed the patches on his back for the patch testing. Poor baby had 18 pricks on each of his arms to find out if he had anaphylactic reaction to a food. As suspected, it all came back negative. The patch testing will be read on Friday morning; it looks for a delayed reaction to food.

The staff at Cinci Children's have been outstanding. It's a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility with staff that truly care. It's wonderful to be in a place geared for children! Andy's parents were here through our inpatient stay which made things so much easier! We also saw my sisters on Sunday before Bryce had to go into the hospital.

The next few days should be a lot less intense with just follow up visits. Thankful, the testing is done!!! I'll post more when I can. Love to you all.

Arrived in Ohio

Hi everyone. I just thought I would post and let you know that we arrived in Ohio yesterday and are getting settled. The great news is that Bryce no longer has a fever and is feeling better!

The flight from San Antonio to Ohio overall went well for a 6 AM departure! Since we were in Dayton by noon, I called my sister, Tina, and she met us at Carollin Park for about an hour. We then traveled about 40 minutes south to the Drury Inn where we're staying. The hotel was full of girls here for a soccer tournament so Bryce had a great time running around, flirting with everyone. Last night, we unpacked and got items we needed to "clean out" Bryce.

Today we start the "clean out" procedures. That's all for now!

Cincinnati Children's Medical Center Schedule

This weekend, Andy and I are taking Bryce to Cincinnati Children's Medical Center to be evaluated by the Eosinophilic Center. As many of you know, we've been trying to get Bryce to the experts for months and it is finally here.

This trip brings many mixed emotions for us. I'm excited that Bryce will be in the best hands but also hate putting my son through so many procedures. The preparation for the scopes will be hard since he can't eat for 24 hours and we have to "clean him out." I also don't look forward to the allergy testing since the skin prick tests involve using his arms as pin cushions.

Of course, the hope is that we have some answers by the end of the week on what is going on with Bryce and his GI tract. Andy and I have two goals for the trip: find out what is bothering Bryce and walk away with a treatment/food plan. We know that we are probably not going to get any magical solutions but hope to know more then we do now.

We are lucky that the experts just happen to be in our hometown state of Ohio! The hotel we are staying at is a 10 minutes from two of my sisters. My dad lives in Dayton and has offered to help. Although Cleveland is still a 4 hour drive to Cincinnati, Andy's parents are going to drive down for a couple of days. We really appreciate having all of their support.

I'll post updates if I get a chance while in Cinci. Here is our schedule.

Saturday, Sep 27
Fly from San Antonio to Dayton, arrive near noon
Staying at Drury Inn in Sharonville (2265 E Sharon Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45241)

Sunday, Sep 28
1:00 PM
Colonoscopy Prep Begins
Only clear liquids for the next 24 hours

Monday, Sep 29
9:00 AM
Clinic Visit
Dr. Franciosi (Gastroenterology Center 2nd floor Building C)
1:30 PM
Endoscopy/Colonoscopy
(Report to Same Day Surgery Registration 3rd Floor Building B at 12:00 PM)

Tuesday, Sep 30
9:00 AM
Allergy Testing
(Allergy Department 5th floor Building C)
Allergy Patch Testing to follow Skin Test
1:00 PM
Appointment with Social Worker (Report to Allergy Waiting Area)

Wednesday, 1 Oct
10:00 AM
Education and Lab Tour
(Report to Gastroenterology Waiting Area)

Thursday, 2 Oct
9:00 AM
Follow-up appointment with Dr. Franciosi (Gastroenterology Center 2nd Floor Building C)
Appointment with Dietitian to follow
Speech Therapy

Friday, 3 Oct
9:15 AM
Patch Test Reading (Allergy Department 5th Floor Building C)

Friday, 3 Oct to Monday, 6 Oct
Driving to Cleveland to celebrate Andy's Mom's 60th Birthday

Tuesday, 7 Oct
Flying from Dayton back to San Antonio

Cape Cod

We went to Cape Cod at the end of August until after Labor Day. It was a wonderful 10-day trip where we enjoyed the cool air, seafood, the ocean and family.

We stayed with Andy's grandfather, Bompie, who still lives by himself in Orleans, MA. Andy's brother, Scott, came from Boston both weekends we were in town to play with his nephew. Nanna and Bampa Huntoon drove down from Mentor, Ohio to spend a week with us on the Cape. In addition, we also had Lisa's godparents, Laura and Hasty, make their first visit to the area; to see us and beautiful Cape Cod.

The beaches at the Cape are beautiful, especially the way the tides come in and out.

Nanna and Bampa took Bryce to the beach many afternoons all on their own! Bryce LOVED being at the beach. Bryce was a little cautious of the waves. Most of the time, he would follow the waves, walking toward the water when it went out to sea and then walking back when the waves came in. One day with Nanna and Bampa, he got brave and actually played in the waves!

Uncle Scott reading an airplane book.

Andy and Bryce at the beach in the morning while Lisa slept!

Bryce watching the ocean.

Bompie bought us lobster one night! It was soo good to eat fresh, delicious lobster. Bryce enjoyed playing with the claws.

Big shoes to fill! (Hasty's shoes!)

Checking out Hasty's beard.

Laura cuddled up with Bryce who's in his Nini (Uncle Kevin's blankie).

Out to dinner with Laura and Hasty thanks to Nanna and Bampa babysitting!

Bryce was thrilled to spend time with Bompie.

We celebrated Bompie's 91st birthday while we were at the Cape.