a new update

The doctors were able to remove all of the AVM from Katherine's brain!! Not only that, but she raised up her hand and wiggled her fingers, and tried to take out her feeding tube - which leads them to believe that it was bothering her, so her swallow reflex is not affected by the surgery which is one thing they were worried about. Also, she was able to wiggle all ten toes on demand more than once. She is still in a medically induced coma for the next 35 ish hours. But, the good news is she is NOT paralyzed, as she has been moving her extremities.

Her baby boy is taking a bottle like a champ (mom was breastfeeding), and seems to be holding up quite well regardless of all of the stress.

This situation is not resolved, and Katherine still has a long road ahead. Please continue to pray.

Thanks to everyone who e-mailed to let us know you were praying. For the next couple of days there will be a prayer meeting here at 7 am and 5 pm pacific time. If you can join us then, please do! Otherwise, any time you think of it, lift up a prayer. It is working. God is good.

Update on our friend...

Our friend Katherine underwent emergency brain surgery last night. It was supposed to last 6-8 hours, and it ended up lasting 12 hours due to some ruptures that apparently happened during the surgery. To our understanding, Katherine suffered from a condition called AVM that she was unaware of. She is currently in ICU, and they are not aware yet (to our knowledge) what damage there is. She is in a coma, though we don't know if it is medically induced or not.

Katherine's husband, Jay, is in Law School with Travis...and is due to graduate on May 16 with Travis. They have a 6 month old baby named James.

Please continue to pray for the Wolf family. If any of you have facebook, you can join a group called "pray for Katherine Arnold Wolf".

We will update as we know more. Thanks everyone!

(for some reason the links above are not underlined. The bold green words are clickable).

Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

There is a group meeting at 5 pm Pacific Time (7 pm Texas time, 8 pm East Coast time) to prayer. Wherever you are, if you can, please pray at that time. Let's cover this family in a circle of prayer all over the country. Please pray.

Urgent: Our Friends Need Your Prayers

A couple of our friends need your prayers right now. Earlier today our friend Katherine passed out, luckily her husband Jay was there to revive her. They took her into the hospital and she has some serious bleeding on her brain.

Katherine is currently undergoing emergency brain surgery at the UCLA medical center in Westwood. The surgery began at just before 5pm and will last 6 to 8 hours if it goes well. Jay and Katherine have a 6 month old son, so please pray that his mommy will be ok.

Please pray for Katherine, Jay, James, and all the doctors currently performing the surgery.

Thanks,
Travis

Need Information...Again

Hey Mommies,

In a few short weeks, Owen and I (and CiCi) will be getting on a plane to move to Texas!! My question is: what do I need to take on the plane/trip with me?? And advice for air travel with a wee one?

Help me out ladies.

THANKS!!

Moving Right Along....

Well, I went back to work on Monday. It totally sucks, but I am only working 8:30 to 1:30 and only for 3 weeks total. So, almost one week down, 2 more to go. My sister has been here this week to take care of Owen while I am at work and Travis is in class. Owen made a new friend. :-)

We move back to Texas in 4 WEEKS!!!! I can't wait! While my sister has been here we packed up a few boxes...so the process is underway! My cousin has a rent house in Austin and we are going to rent it!!! WOOHOO!! It will be so great!

My cousin Rachael has been letting us use her Acura SUV to get around. It is SO DIFFICULT to fit ANYTHING in our cars with all of Owen's gear. We fit us and Owen in his car seat, and we could fit one more person. In the trunk: the stroller. That's it. Grocery shopping is a nightmare, any other kind of shopping is a nightmare too. I mean, ABSOLUTE nightmare. There is no room at all for anything. We are going to HAVE to get a larger vehicle very soon, or I will completely lose my mind. It has been so nice to use Rach's SUV and not worry about fitting all of us and all Owen's gear, and any groceries or other things we buy. And it is SO MUCH more comfortable. Our time with the SUV is coming to an end, and I am VERY sad!! I mean seriously, I cannot tell you how much I am totally dreading going back to our little cars.

Today a couple friends and I threw a "Sprinkle" for our friend that is having a second baby girl. Instead of having a regular shower, we did a "sprinkle" - a smaller version....people gave money ahead of time and we got a large gift card to Babies R Us and a swing and a "Hooter Hider" (he he, yes, they are AWESOME for nursing!). She didn't need more clothes or anything since she already has a girl, so this was a perfect little party. I made 2 diaper cakes, some super cure cookies, and cute fruit-ka-bobs.

Below are some pictures of the "sprinkle", and some other random pics.

hmm...REALLY?!?!

ok, so you know how you sit at your computer and type random things into Google...otherwise known as you "google" something?? Well, I was typing random things in tonight and came up with a website that tells about ACU. I don't know, like the Wikipedia of universities or something.

According to this website, apparently ACU has a fight song??

Fight Song

ACU Fight Song (a.k.a. Wildcat Victory)
Wildcats! Hold that line! Hold that line!
Wildcats! Now's the time! Now's the time!
Strive on! Drive on! We must make a score
For ACU, as we have before.

Wildcats! Throw a pass! Throw a pass!
We must win this game.
Come on and fight,
Fight, fight, and give us just another
Wildcat victory.

W-I-L-D-C-A-T-S!
Purple! White!
Purple! White!
Fight! Fight! Fight!



What is this?? I have NEVER heard this before. Have any of you fellow ACU alum heard this?? Now, the end part I am familiar with...the very last 4 lines. But other than that, I have never heard this. Was it retired 50 years ago or something?? I'm so confused.

Owen's first hickey.

Yes folks. You read that correctly. As my tiny boy was resting on my shoulder, he was also sucking on his wrist. A while later I noticed a spot on that very same wrist...a hickey!

View the evidence:

The lighting wasn't the best, but you can see the long spot there on his arm.

Yesterday we went out to run errands. As we drive through Malibu Canyon to get to the Valley, we go through a tunnel. Well, obviously inside the tunnel is somewhat dark, and there are lights that seem to flash as you drive through. Owen was mesmerized. Here is a series of pictures.

"Hi mom. cool camera"

"I like riding in the car."

"really? another picture?"

"Whoa! This is crazy!"

"did you catch that, mom?"

Every time we go through the tunnel his eyes get HUGE!

Here are some other random pictures.

talking to daddy

daddy is funny.
I like to touch mom's face.
"what's up?"

Pray for this family NOW

Hi guys. I have been reading this blog for a while now. You should check it out.

The wife has Cystic Fibrosis and is in surgery to get a double lung transplant as we speak.

www.cfhusband.blogspot.com

oh good grief

UPDATE: first of all, I'd like to point out that no less then TEN people have read this blog post since I posted it, yet only ONE person has commented on it. COME ON PEOPLE. Don't stalk. Comment. :-) Seriously.

Secondly, as soon as I posted this, Owen woke up. We played a while, ate, and then played some more. Then, with a rather large smile on his tiny face, Owen proceeded to vomit IN my mouth, in my hair, on my shirt, down my shirt, and everywhere in between. Sick. I had to take another shower.

I am back to the old, "my house is not clean" bit. Seriously, it is annoying. I am not saying that my little distraction is not a GREAT distraction, but I know MANY other mothers that somehow manage to have a SPOTLESS house and have a tremendously happy baby to boot. Tell me: HOW?!?!?

Please, tell me your secrets. I constantly apologize to anyone that knocks on our door about the state of our abode. Their response, "you have a good excuse." While I am sure this is true, that response tends to wear on me a bit. Not that I would rather them say "yeah lady! this place looks like trash!" But, nonetheless, I shouldn't have an excuse for not keeping my house.

MOMMIES, YOUR MISSION: GIVE ME ALL OF YOUR HOUSEKEEPING POINTERS!! How do you do it?? And I am serious this time, if you read this blog at all, even if you NEVER comment: if you are a mom I NEED you to tell me. My sanity is on the line people.

The laundry is endless. Yes, I did know this would happen before little Owen arrived, but it seems that even if I do find the time to actually do the laundry 8 times out of 10 I don't have time to fold it. Sometimes for a few days. Don't judge me people, I have only been doing this for going on 10 weeks now.

Before I move on, let me just say that reruns of Dawson's Creek have kept me somewhat looking forward to my early morning wake up call (around 6:30). And, on that same note, reruns of 8 Simples Rules have kept Travis and I entertained at about 3:45 AM when we BOTH get up for the one time in the night that Owen wakes up. Yes, we both get up. This has been going on since Owen was born. Not that we are both necessary, but for some reason we both get up. Makes for good company, and thank goodness for DVR's (or the cheaper version of TIVO).

Just a few things these days:

1. Owen is becoming quite interested in his toys. He likes to play on his gym/mat thingy, and he is actually reaching for the toys that hang around him.

2. He has this one toy that he really loves. It is a little green elephant that you pull and it giggles and shakes. He LOVES this elephant. He gets the most GINORMOUS smile on his face, it is so cute.

3. I think he is on the verge of a giggle. He has almost done it a couple times, but not just yet.

4. He really enjoys making spit bubbles with his mouth. That has made for many a soaked outfit.

5. He only wakes up once in the night to eat. Between 3:30 and 4:30. So that means we sleep. It is nice. Although, Owen has been sleeping in at least 4 hour stretches since he came home from the hospital, so we were never too deprived.

Well, he has just fallen asleep while playing with his toys on his mat. So, I guess I should go try to get a couple things done while he sleeps.

rough week

Owen had a tough week. He had his shots on Tuesday, and was just not himself until today. He was so fussy (which he NEVER is), and actually screaming sometimes. He also had diarrhea (sorry if that is too much info) for a while. He wasn't smiley, he wouldn't eat much, and he didn't want to play. Basically this was a really rotten week. We took him back to the doctor yesterday because we were so worried about him. Here are some before and after pics:

This was in the doc's office about 10 minutes before his shots, happy and playing with daddy.

This was when we got home from the doc's office after the shots. Poor baby boy.

The shots sucked. I hated it. The last one was the worst because he lifted his entire upper body off the table and screamed bloody murder.

But today he is much better. He smiled most of the day, even as he spit up on me three times in the car. Yes, he barfed while smiling. Crazy kid. (I was feeding him in the car while Travis was in the store picking up something we had dropped off to be fixed. We had been out for a couple hours and the boy was very hungry!!) We were both covered. :-)

Here is a picture of him that I took this morning in his Bumbo chair. I couldn't resist. And I was singing and dancing, so the look on his face is pretty hilarious.

Here are just a few pictures from the couple days before his shots.

Owen says, "Please dad. not again."

And here we have the life of a smile.

"I think I can, I think I can..."
"I can! I can!"

"If only I had something to put in my mouth."

"OH!!!"
"Maybe I can get my hands in my mouth."
"Yep."
"That was hard work."
Wiped Out.

Need Info from Mommies

Owen just had his 2 month shots on Tuesday.

What was your child's reaction to the shots, and how long did it last??

Please: if you are against immunizations and did not have your child immunized, do not comment or tell me why to not have my child immunized. I respect your decision, but that is not why I am asking. So please, respect my decision to have my child immunized and leave it at that. Thanks.

Paci's Beware...

...If Owen gets his mouth around you, he will suck the life out of you. View the evidence:
Friday was Travis' birthday. We didn't do a whole lot...but we went to eat at his place of choice, and then we came home for cake.
We went to Target the other day...and Owen pretty much let us know when he had had enough.

This is what his shirt says in the last two pics:
We sort of caught one of his smiles the other day, and he just happens to be wearing a REALLY cute outfit.

And last but not least: Yesterday was Owen's first trip to church AND his first trip to the beach. All on Easter Sunday. He looked SUPER cute in his Easter sweater vest outfit. And cousin Rachael came over for Easter lunch and then went with us to the beach and took some pictures of the family.





My baby is TWO MONTHS OLD today!!!! Unbelievable.

hmm...

...where DOES the time go??

Seriously. Sometimes it seems like I get absolutely nothing done, but I have been busy all day. I guess that is what taking care of a child will do. But, sadly, my house is a disaster area 24/7 because I don't have time to clean it. I can honestly say that I have not cleaned it since Owen was born. (yes, I know, I am TERRIBLE). Travis' mom and my mom did pick up some when they were here...but for the most part it has just been spot cleaning and doing the dishes. Before Owen was born I would get SO annoyed if the house wasn't at least decent looking...now I have decided that I have to accept the fact that some days it won't come close to being decent looking. I still struggle there....because I really don't want it to be that way, but I am literally busy all day long and cleaning just doesn't make it's way into the agenda. Does anyone have any tips on this??

TODAY....I CLEANED!!!!!! I put Owen down for a nap in his crib and he slept for over 2 hours. I decided as soon as I put him down that I would hurry and do as much as I could before he woke up (I had no idea how long he would sleep). I did THREE loads of laundry (there are 3 washers and 3 dryers right across the hall from our apartment), I cleaned the kitchen/dining room, I cleaned the bathroom, I swept the kitchen/hall/bathroom, I mopped the kitchen/hall/bathroom, and I vacuumed the living room. It is amazing how all of that, that would have taken me forever to do 3 months ago, took me 2 short hours. And Owen woke up just as I was putting the vacuum away. Perfect timing! I feel better. MUCH better. I feel like I have been living in squalor (ok, so it probably wasn't near as bad as I make it out to sound...Travis always says I think our house is much worse than it actually is.)

I NEED MORE SUGGESTIONS ON A BLOG TITLE. COME ON PEOPLE. (there are some cute ideas...but keep 'em comin!!)

I need your help

Ok kids...I need your help to come up with a new title for my blog. We will be moving to Austin, Texas in May, so we will no longer be "The West Coast Tidmores." PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help me come up with something good. Comment and make your suggestions. I cannot think of anything. Sadly, pregnancy brain sticks around after you've had the baby...so my brain does not work.

Ok, get to work. Think of a catchy, FUN title for my blog. Perhaps I will choose a couple (if I get enough suggestions) and then have you all vote on the best. I know there are many of you that read this, but too many of you don't comment. So, DO IT NOW!!! It is easy...and I really need the suggestions!

THANKS A MILLION!

Picture post

Owen is getting so big. I went to put a sleeper on him the other night and it didn't fit him anymore. :-( So sad. So, I got another one, and it didn't fit him either!!! None of his newborn sleepers fit him anymore, along with a few of his little outfits. We are on to bigger clothes. It was a sad day and a sad realization that kids DO grow up too fast. On the other hand, he is getting to be so fun. He is smiling and he coos alot. He likes to talk to us. As soon as we get a cord to transfer videos to our new computer (a MacBook....AWESOME) I will post a couple REALLY cute videos for your viewing pleasure.

Here are some pictures of my favorite, little bitty, teeny tiny, cute! (catch that reference mom?)

We were playing one second, and the next second he's asleep.

He isn't three months yet (as the age requirements for the Bumbo chair state), but we couldn't resist getting a pic of him sitting in it. :-) 

Here he is just relaxing in his crib, diaper only. So cute.

Hanging out with Mamacita.

Tired boy.