He Did It!

This evening, Colby, Margaret and I were visiting with our neighbors Deann, Parker and Kinley. While we were there some friends Patrick, Lindsey and John Patrick (who is a couple weeks older than Colby) stopped by. Colby was having fun watching all the kids. We were talking about how he could not figure out how to roll over, his elbow kept getting stuck underneath him. While we were all sitting there talking Colby was on his back and would you believe it, he rolled over!!!!! Everyone in the room was watching him try to roll over and we all cheered when he finally did it. Next up, sitting up on his own.

Colby is now 14 lbs and growing like a weed. He is eating some baby food now. He is not too crazy about carrots but loves his sweet potatoes. He is doing so much better now that he has his tubes in. Much happier baby these days. (Much Happier Mommy too!!) Now if we could just get him on a napping schedule and sleeping through the night we will be doing good. He truly is a blessing to us and we are so very thankful to be able to spend each day watching him learn and grow.

We have so much to be thankful for in 2008 and we are looking forward to 2009 and a lot of firsts. His first crawl, walk, words, teeth and all that good stuff. We are so thankful for all of our friends and family and for all the memories we have made this past year. We are looking forward to many more in 2009. We hope that everyone has a very Happy New Year!!

Tubes Are Done

Colby had his tubes put in this morning and everything went well. The surgery was over before we knew it and we were back home by 8:00a.m. The doctor said that he still had a little bit of fluid behind his ears so that it was good that we decided to go ahead and put the tubes in. Colby is doing o.k. He has been a little fussy today but boy does he have his appetite back. We are hoping that he gets a good night sleep and that by tomorrow morning he will be a happy camper. Thanks for all your thoughtful emails and prayers.

Tubes Tomorrow

Well, early tomorrow morning we will be heading to Children's South for Colby to have tubes put in his ears. He has had 4 double ear infections back to back so the ENT said that he needed to go ahead and have tubes put in or else he would just keep getting ear infections. So tomorrow morning we have to be at the hospital at 5:45a.m. and his surgery is scheduled for 6:30a.m. They said that the surgery itself will only last about 15-20 minutes and he will be in recovery about 30 minutes before they bring him back into the room to us. I know that this is a quick and easy surgery but I am still nervous about handing him over to the nurses and him being put under anesthesia. We are hoping and praying that everything goes well and that Colby feels much better afterwards. We will let you know how everything goes. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Completely Humbled!

So I was sitting in the waiting room with Colby at his GI doctor's office thinking about how tired and stressed I was because this was our 4th doctor's appointment this week, all of which we had to wait at least 1-2 hours in the waiting room, and Colby was fussy and next to me was this 11 year old girl and her mom. They started asking me how old Colby was and the little girl(Jordan) was talking to Colby and asking me why we were there. I explained to her that he has reflux and that he had an upper GI done last week and that we were here for the results and to talk to the Dr. more about his reflux. I continue to sit there just feeling sorry for Colby and everything that he has been through already and getting really tired of waiting rooms and I start talking to Jordan about why she is at the doctor. She and her mother explain to me that Jordan has Chromes disease, colitis, and severe acid reflux. My heart just melted. Jordan continues to tell me all about her situation and how sick she is all the time and her mom just looked so tired. Her mom explained to me that Jordan was up 4 out of 7 nights of the week doubled over in pain for 1 year until they finally found Dr. King and he diagnosed her. Before that some Drs. thought that she may have bone cancer, some said it was all in her head, they really didn't know what was going on. Her mom said that she is doing better now but that she is on a lot of medicine and steroids. Jordan proceeded to tell me about her best friend who was 10 years old who is at Children's because he has leukemia and just had a bone marrow transplant. Jordan was telling me all about this boy's condition and how his white blood cell count was slowly coming back up and how no one could go see him because of his low immune system. Again, my heart melts. Here I am feeling frustrated because we are having to wait so long to see all these docs. and here is this 11 year old girl who drove an hour and a half to see this doctor and this little boy in the hospital who is so sick and can't even see his family. I am truly humbled by their strength, patience and courage. And all this time Jordan is just talking and playing with Colby and being so sweet.
So I wanted to ask that this holiday season you all pray for Jordan and her family and for the little boy in the hospital with leukemia. Jordan's mom was struggling with trying to decide if she should pull her out of school and home school her because she misses so much and the school was giving her a hard time about that. So please pray for healing and comfort for Jordan and wisdom and peace for Jordan's parents. And please pray for a miraculous recovery for Jordan's friend in the hospital and that he will continue to improve and that his family will be able to be with him soon. I can't imagine going through either of these situations and am in awe of the strength and courage of these children and their parents. This just reminds me to be so thankful that we have eachother and to be thankful for the people we have in our lives. I know sometimes life is rough and our situation that we are going through at that time may seem terrible but just remember as Jordan's mom told her "hey, it could be worse". There are so many people out there who are truly suffering and in need of a miraculous recovery. Please Pray!

Romans 12:12- " Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer,"

Completely Humbled,
Margaret

Tubes It Is :-(

Well we went back to the ENT today because Colby has double ear infections again and he decided that we need to go ahead and put tubes in. Colby did not pass his hearing test in the right ear but they think that is because he has a lot of fluid in that ear. So next Thursday morning our little man will get tubes :( I have mixed feelings about it because I know that he will be much happier and feel much better afterwards but at the same time I don't want him to have to undergo anesthesia. The doctor said that it is light anesthesia so that is good.
We would like to ask you all to please pray for our little one next Thursday that everything will go smoothly and for his mommy and daddy to be strong.

Colby needs your vote!!!!!

Hey Everyone, Marg entered Colby into a baby photo contest. Please forward this to your friends and family. Here is the link. Please vote.

https://www.greatamericanphotocontest.com/voter1/index.aspx?referid=EmailFriends&p=895769&x=.jpg

Here is the picture that was entered:

4 Months Old!

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. We enjoyed spending time with family and friends. Oh, and the food, of course. We have so many things to be thankful for this year but the thing we are most thankful for is our little man right here. He is so much fun and we love him to pieces. As our 4 year old neighbor says "I could just eat the fire out of him." I cannot believe that he is already 4 months old. Today he had cereal for the first time and loved it. He did really good for a first timer. We have heard him laugh a couple of times and it is the sweetest laugh I have ever heard. I think back to before Colby was born and remember the times when Scott and I didn't know if we would ever be able to have children. I think of all we went through to get him here and realize how truly blessed we are that he is here and happy and healthy. We had so many fears due to me being high risk, but we knew that we had to trust in Him that everything would be o.k. I am amazed at this tiny little miracle and feel completely blessed. We love our little man and feel privileged to be his mom and dad.

HALLOWEEN PICTURES

OUR LITTLE PUMPKIN!

GOT MILK? EAT MORE CHICKEN!

MY GIRL ISABELLA!

Colby's First Hair Cut!

Colby had his first hair cut today and he did well. His hair had gotten so long that it was hanging over his ears and down over his shoulders. So today he and I went to the Salon and both got new do's. Melissa just took a very little bit off around his ears and in the back but took a lot off of mine. What do you think?

OUR NEW DO'S!

Big Day for Colby!

Today was another first for Colby. I had Bible Study this morning so Colby went to the nursery for the first time. I was a little nervous, mainly because I am a fanatic about germs and stuff, but the nursery workers were so sweet there. When I came to pick him up one of the ladies was rocking him and all three ladies said that they were taking him home with them. They said that he did great and that he loved watching the other babies crawling and walking around. One lady that everyone called Nana, said that she had to rub his hair one more time before we left. It made me feel good to know that they enjoyed keeping him and are looking forward to seeing him next Monday. I was very proud of him for doing so good and felt very comfortable with the ladies there.

Tomorrow will be very interesting because Colby is getting his first hair cut. I know some of you probably think that I am crazy cutting his hair already but his hair is growing so fast that it is very long and shaggy looking. Seriously his hair is down his back and is hanging over almost to the bottom of his ears. He is having his 3 month pictures made on Thursday so he's got to be looking sharp. We will post a picture of his new do tomorrow.

Still Have Ear Infections!

Well, yesterday was one of the hardest days we've had in a while. Colby was still acting like he was painful and then around lunch time he started having breathing problems again. So, back to the doctor we went. This visit was a ROUGH visit. The doctor ran blood work, collected urine, tested his ears again and took a chest x-ray. Colby screamed for every single test. Lets just say he was pitiful and there was nothing we could do to help him. It was 2 hours of sheer pain for Colby and us. The doctor came in and said that his white blood cell count was high and that meant that he was fighting a virus, probably a little cold. He also said that his ears were still infected so they were going to give him a rocephin shot and continue his antibiotics and that should help knock out this ongoing ear infection. So after Colby finally calmed down and fell asleep they came in with the shot and that sent him and me over the edge. The screaming was so bad during all the tests that another doctor came and asked me if we were ok. I just feel so sorry for the little man he has been through so much.

Today was a little bit of a better day. Colby got a pretty good night sleep and then we got him up and ready and off we went to his GI appointment. This appointment went much smoother. No tests. We met the doctor for the first time today and loved him. He was so helpful and encouraging. Oh, and he was hilarious. Which is exactly what we needed after yesterday. He explained a lot to Scott and I and he said that Colby's ear infections are due to his acid reflux. He made some changes to Colby's meds and is going to do an upper GI in November to check the anatomy of Colby's digestive system. We are praying that the changes to his meds and the increased antibiotics will get Colby feeling better soon.

We would like to ask that you keep Colby, Scott and I in your prayers. Please pray that God will heal Colby of all these issues and give him peace and that He will give Scott and I patience and faith that Colby will be better soon. Thank you all for all your thoughts and prayers.

The Pumpkin Patch

Marg, Colby and I went to the pumpkin patch in Clanton with our neighbors Jeremy, Deann, Parker and Kinley. We had a blast. It was our first trip to this "patch". What an experience. It reminded me of an old time country fair. Food booths, pony rides, tractor rides, petting zoo's, inflatable slide, an Indian Village and the famous Hayride to the Pumpkin Patch kept us all busy. We ended up finding some great pumpkins.

Question For All You Moms Out There! Please Help!

Well I did it. I knew when I typed the blog "It's A Miracle" that I was probably speaking to soon and sure enough I was. Last night was a rough one. Colby went to sleep at 9:30 as usual but then he tossed and turned all night and woke up at 2:30 a.m. and was screaming crying until 6:00 am when he finally fell back asleep. Needless to say Scott and I were both worn out by 6am and very GROUCHY. Well this morning Colby still was not acting himself so I took him to the doctor and you won't believe it, he has 2 ear infections again. The poor kid is on his third set of ear infections and is only 12 weeks old. We did not get to see our doctor today but the doc that we did see thinks that we need to go ahead and start talking about tubes. He said that he would discuss things with my doc tomorrow and they would give me a call. Well as I was walking to my car I ran into my doc and he was shocked to hear that he has 2 more ear infections but said that he thought Colby was a little young for tubes, which I think I might agree. I have seen tubes do wonders and am not against them but I feel like he is a little to young for them.
So my question for all you moms out there with children that have had tubes is, how old were your kids when they had tubes and do you know how old kids usually have to be before they do tubes?

The Potato Harvest

I was cleaning out the flower beds the other day when I got a little surprise. We had a little 6ft round flower bed in front of the house. There is a flowering crab apple in the middle. Well, we decided to plant the green sweet potato vines around it this past spring. I was pulling up the vines when I came across a big sweet potato. I was shocked. Then I found another one. Marg and I called our neighbors to come help us "harvest the potatoes". We were going to let Parker and

Kinley each dig up one of the potatoes. Needless to say, we found many more. We now have a five gallon bucket full of sweet potatoes. It was blast watching the kids get all excited!

It's A Miracle!

We could not believe it. Colby is finally starting to sleep through the night! Yeah! Last night Colby went to bed at 9:30 p.m. and slept until 6:30 a.m. Granted last night was the first time, he normally wakes up at 4 a.m, but we are hoping that this will become a routine. If so, I think I just might be able to survive motherhood! Maybe!
We really had a rough start with Colby, because he had so many different little issues, but thanks to all of you who have been faithfully praying for him, I think he is finally starting to improve. We still have a few little issues and have to go see the GI doctor next week but I feel like he is really starting to feel better and is a lot happier. I think that we are starting to develop somewhat of a schedule and he seems to do better with that.
He is starting to smile a lot more and even laugh a little. I honestly think he has the sweetest smile I've ever seen. He is having his 3 month old pictures made on Fri. and I am hoping that they can catch some of him smiling so you all can see.

Colby's First Baseball Game

Tonight Colby went to watch his cousin Gage's baseball game. He had fun visiting with friends and family and cheering on Gage. This was Colby's first baseball game to go to and he did great. He loved looking at all the lights.

GAGE

COLBY & MIMI

Maggie's 1st Birthday!

This weekend we went to Atlanta to celebrate my niece Maggie's 1st birthday. We had a great time and Colby made some new friends. We cannot believe that Maggie is one already. Time sure does fly by.
We also were able to meet my new niece Riley Elizabeth Walsh. She is so precious and small. She was born on Oct. 3 and weighed about 8.5lbs. We were unable to get pictures of her on this trip but we will get some next time.
This was Colby's first trip so we were anxious to see how he would do in the car. Well, we left out early Sat. morning to beat the lovely Talladega traffic and he slept the whole way there. We partied all day on Sat. and then that night he got to spend time with his aunts, uncles and cousins while his mommy and daddy went on a much needed date. On Sun. we had lunch with the Kellers and the Dykes, had several good laughs, and then headed home. Colby was a little fussy the first half of the trip but then he and his daddy slept the rest of the way home. All in all it was a great trip and we were glad to get to see everyone.

MAGGIE

KELLER KIDS, MAGGIE, COLBY

BENJAMIN & MAGGIE

COLBY HANGIN WITH THE BOYS

Smile!

I had to share this with you all. His little smile just makes my day! He loves his changing table. Whenever we put him on it to change him he just smiles and talks to you. It always makes me smile. I hope it makes you smile today.

Daddy's Worst Fear Confirmed!

"Hangin with my buddies!"

Yes. It is true. I knew Colby had been up to something. He would disappear several times during the day. Last night I went looking for Colby and found him at our neighbors house, hanging with Auburn Fans. What am I supposed to do?

All kidding aside. We went to say hello to our neighbors as they returned from the Auburn/Tennessee game. We wanted to get a picture with the kids in their Auburn gear. Colby had his picture made with his buddies Parker and Kinley.

Colby First Visit to Star Lake

On Friday, since it was so pretty outside, Colby and I went to Star Lake with Grandmom

and Grandad. We enjoyed walking around the lake several times and then we sat down and

Colby had a little snack. Colby loved looking at all the trees and listening to all the ducks and birds. We had a fun time and even had a few good laughs. Especially when Milly, my moms dog, almost caught a duck. I have never seen ducks run so fast. Colby loves being outside and looking around at all the new things. It was a great day!

"BLACKED OUT"

Roll Tide from Scott and Colby.

Also, thank you Auburn for helping get rid of Phil Fulmer!

Look Who's 2 Months Old Today!

Free Kodi Burns!

Who got a better view of the Auburn Game? Colby Fancher or Kodi Burns? One could see the field from all different angles in HD and one could not see behind the offense lineman standing in front of him on the sidelines.

War Eagle!

Mommy and I are trying to convert Daddy to an Auburn fan.

We can't be a divided family. We all had fun hanging out and

watching football today. Go TIGERS!!

Roll Tide 49-14

Marg had to run some errands today and left us at home. Colby and I had a guys day and watched the Crimson Tide roll over Arkansas today. Thanks to some touchdown gift wrapping by the Razorbacks, Alabama put up some impressive numbers. Colby needs to get some rest now so that we can watch Auburn and LSU play tonight. Roll Tide.

P.S. Colby got a little bored during the 4th quarter, so we had a picture taking session.

My First Football Game!

Tonight Colby enjoyed his first football game. He went to see his cousin Peyton start at quarterback for the Berry Jaguars (They won 7-0 thanks to an awesome 30 yard pass by Peyton). Unbelievably Colby slept through the first 3 quarters of the game and even the incredibly loud music at half time. Scott and I decided that from now on whenever he is crying and won't go to sleep we'll just play some really loud music and maybe that will work. We were all very proud of Peyton and Colby had fun cheering him on.




Today I did something I never thought that I would ever do. I have been having a hard time getting anything done around the house because Colby will not let me put him down. Well this morning my neighbor Deann came over and helped me put Colby in a snuggly/Baby Bjorn. So here I was walking around the house with Colby strapped to me and doing dishes, laundry and making the bed. I tell you what, that is when I felt like a real stay at home mom. I never thought that I would ever wear one of those things but if that is what it takes to be able to get stuff done than that is what I will have to do. Besides it will give me a good laugh every day. So next time you see someone walking around with a child strapped to them, don't laugh, you do what you got to do to survive.
Needless to say Colby had a pretty good day and a fun night!

Another Good Report!

On Friday Colby had to have a hip ultrasound done because he was breech when he was born. The ultrasound showed that his hip was in the socket and that everything looked normal. We were thrilled to hear the report. Colby had a good nights sleep last night and seems to be feeling good today. He is looking forward to putting on his Auburn outfit and watching the game tonight!!

Good Report Today!

Today Colby went to the ENT and had a scope done to check his airway. He did not like the scope part but the doctor was quick and he was fine once he got his passy back. They diagnosed him with mild laryngomalacia, which basically means that he has a little bit of a floppy airway near the voice box. He said that he will grow out of it when he is about 1 1/2 years old. One thing is that we have to be extra careful if he gets a cold or upper respiratory infection. The good news is that it is mild and that he is still able to get enough oxygen. We do not have to go back to the ENT unless his symptoms get worse. We were very glad to hear some good news.

Colby is almost 7 weeks now and is changing so much. He has really started to enjoy his bath time. Tonight he was just kicking, swinging his arms, splashing water everywhere and happy as can be. We loved seeing him so happy.

We hope that everyone is doing well and want to thank you all for checking up on our little one.

Dr. Visit Today!

Colby went to see his Dr. today. It was a good visit. Marg and I learned alot. Dr. Dudgeon helped ease our minds. Yes, Colby has tracheomalacia. Basically what happens is that when adults breathe, our airways stay open. This is due to a stiff cartilage ring surrounding the airway. Colby's is soft, so sometimes when he breathes, it will collapse some, making a gurgling, whistling sound. He is still getting oxygen, it just takes more work to get it. Over time, his airway will stiffen up. As long as he does not turn blue, we are ok. Yes, we will sleep a little better. The Angel Monitor will help ease our minds. He will still have to go to a Pediatric Ent to do an airway assessment via a scope. They are making apt for us today.

As far as the horrifying screams between 7-10 PM. Classic Colic. Lucky us. The Dr. says he is one of the lucky 20 percent that gets to have it. He also said that in some Eastern Countries, they describe colic as a releasing of stress. Kinda like a he needs a good old fashion cry every night. He said it usually peaks out around 8 weeks. Colby will be 7 weeks this Friday. We are almost there.

As far as the acid reflux, it goes hand in hand with the tracheomalacia (tm). He believes Colby had tm from the beginning but it was never aggravated. The acid reflux has been aggravating the tm and it is causing flare ups.

On the positive side, Colby weights 9lbs 12 oz. He is gaining about an ounce every day.

Rough Day for Colby

Well, here it is, almost 1am and Marg and I cannot sleep. It has been a rough day. Right after the Auburn game, we noticed that Colby was having trouble breathing. Our neighbor Deann was visiting and she agreed that something was not right. We made a trip to Children's Hospital. (See picture) By the time we got there, he was breathing normal again. Luckily for us, we made a video of his breathing issues.

Several nurses looked at him along with a doctor. They all thought it was GER (reflux) related. The doctor was concerned so she went and summoned the attending doctor. The second doctor came in and watched the video. She said it was tracheomalacia. It is basically where the airway is "floppy". In being so, his breathing is labored and he makes a loud sound as if he were choking. Marg and I have been on the computer all night researching this. We also found a similar issue called laryngomalacia.

Well, we got home and he got his 7-9 PM belly ache. We ended up going for a "trip" around Calera and Alabaster. He was finally relaxed. However..............about 30 minutes after we returned home, he started the breathing issue again. They have been going on for about two hours and we are scared to death. For me personally, it is one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do. Marg is having trouble with it also. It is hard to sit there and watch our son breath that heavy. I laid him on his back to listen to his breathing and he spit up out of his nose and mouth. Granted, this was an hour and a half after his feeding. He quit breathing for about 15 seconds. From what the web sites say, an infant will pretty much have an apnea (period of not breathing) in response to a spit up like that so that it will keep the fluid from flowing back into the lungs.

Please keep our little man in your prayers.

I'm 6 Weeks Old Today!!

Today Colby is 6 weeks old and we are so excited. Colby and I went to my old work(TCDC) today to see all the girls that I worked with. They were all excited to see Colby and were amazed by how much hair he had. Colby also got to meet some of the kids that used to be in my class. They were all surprised to see that the baby had come out of Miss Margaret's tummy. We had fun visiting with everyone and miss seeing everyone there.

Colby had a very happy day but has had some tummy problems tonight. He has gotten to where he usually enjoys his baths. Thank goodness. I think they help him relax. Luckily we have only had one more pooping in the tub incident. He has started to follow you with his eyes and coo a little. He also likes to hold hands and for you to talk to him. He smiles some but I think it is more because of a gas bubble or something than on purpose. But hey we will take any smiles we can get.

We are glad that the weekend is here and are looking forward to hanging out with friends and watching some football. WAR EAGLE!!

Update on the Little Man!

Well, it has been a fun couple of weeks. A couple of nights ago, Marg and I awoke to a piercing scream. Not a cry, not a grunt, but a blood curdling scream. Colby had milk / acid running out of his nose and mouth. We could tell he was in pain.

Marg called the Dr. that AM and they both agreed that it had been two weeks and time to try something else. They have put Colby on Prilosec. The good news is that he likes the taste. It is a compounded medicine made from pills and sugar syrup. (the pharmacist told us banana flavored). We hope and pray that it works. Other than that, he is growing and gaining weight. He is still a little light for a linebacker. Hopefully, after a couple more lbs, he will be ready to make some tackles.

Colby got to sit thru his first Alabama game last weekend. He must have been nervous for the Tide because he cried for nearly three quarters. Let's see how he enjoys the Tigers this Saturday. By the way, I am trying to be a good husband. I sing the Alabama fight song to Colby to put him to sleep. In all fairness, I now know the Auburn fight song so I sing both.

Our Sweet Little Boy!

Well, Colby is now 5 weeks old and growing like a weed. He now weighs 9lbs. 1oz. Since our last post the doctors have discoverd that Colby has acid reflux and have started him on some medicine to help with that. He is still having some tummy aches in the evening but is doing better during the day and is sleeping better at night. Last weekend we had his pictures made and he did really well. The picture above is one of my favorites. Today was our 6 year anniversary so we all went to dinner and then went for a stroll around the neighborhood. It was nice. There is not much else happening around here except watching Colby.
We hope that everyone has a great Labor Day weekend.

Love,
The Fancher Family

Outfit

Bama Fever, here we come!

SCOTT AND COLBY

Alabama has been DISQUALIFIED!!

This Just In : It is official, Alabama has been disqualified and Auburn Wins! War Eagle Baby!
Leave it to the Alabama Nation to find a way to cheat : ( Way to be honest my fellow Auburn Fans :)

Colby Had His Pictures Made

We will post some of the pictures soon. We went to Portrait Innovations today and had Colby's pictures made. Mr. and Mrs. Walsh and our nephew Caleb joined us. The pictures turned out awesome. So far, the grandparents have gotten their pictures.

Colby also stayed with his Mimi and Big Daddy (Fancher's) while Margaret and I went to the movies. Ok, I will confess. We were supposed to go to the movies but we were too tired. We ended up going to J Alexander's and getting some desert and going to Costco to get diapers. We like to consider ourselves a fun and exciting couple.