New house and teaching job

Dear all,

It has been a crazy 2 months!  Roy and I moved into our new home 2 days before I started teaching, it was a hectic time for sure.  We love our new home, the backyard is PERFECT for Blue and Luna.  We let them out two or three times a day to run around.  Luna is still a "baby" so we keep her only in the kitchen during the day, and our kitchen has a sliding door that leads right to the backyard so it is a great set up.  The house is so great and it is just the right size.  The master bathroom and the laundry room are huge!  I love the space, especially in the bathroom because sometimes we have the dogs sleep in there if they have upset tummies.  And Roy is very happy to finally be able to park his car in a garage!  I also have a great commute, I am about 10 minutes away from my school.  It's the best!

I am still adjusting to teaching.  I LOVE it!  But I have also found out that there is never a free moment in the day.  There is always something that needs to get done!  I really love my school and my students.  They are a great group of kids, I only have 3 students that have serious behavior issues and even now they are learning not to mess with Mrs. Serna! I am so surprised how quickly I have formed bonds with them, I really care about my students and their success in my class.  I am excited for the rest of the year!  Also I am one of the sponsors of our school's STEM club (science, technology, engineering and math).  That is lots of fun! 

Enjoy the photos of our home and Luna!

 

10

10 months it is! 

I love to crawl.  I'm now super fast!  I can even pull myself up to stand, then sit back down and crawl some more.  I don't really walk around furniture while holding on yet, but I'm close. 

I now have 4 teeth.  My 2 top canines just popped through.  I look like I have fangs and  Halloween isn't until next month. 

I'm still eating twice a day and continue to be a fantastic eater.  I've mastered drinking out of the sippy cup, although I'd rather have someone else hold it for me while I drink. 

I love to eat puffs!  The baby cheeto crunchers are super delicious too.

I'm a happy guy and love to laugh.  My giggle is contagious. 

I continue to suck my thumb.  It's my best friend. 

I still have a blast jumping the jumperoo, but my new favorite game is chasing around Evelyn and Isaac.  It never gets old.   :) 

Hello from the Brandon's

We hope that eveybody is doing great and enjoyed the summer and is ready for Fall. Hunter is doing great. He is growing like a weed, he is in size 6 clothes. He started a new preschool and he is doing really well and enjoys going everyday. It also has a daycare for when the baby is born. He is ready to be a big brother, but I do not think he knows what a big brother does and that the baby is here to stay. The baby is due to come by C-section on 9-23 at noon if he stays in that long. I have been feeling good and glad for the cooler weather. For those that do not know, our little guy has a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot(TOF). This is commonly called the "blue baby syndrom". Thankfully, he has a minor case. TOF has a very broad diagnosis. It is made up of 4 things; 1) a hole between the bottom 2 chambers of the heart (ventricular septal defect or VSD), 2) a narrowing under or at the pulmonary valve, 3) an enlargment of the bottom right side of the heart, and 4) the aorta is lined up just over the hole between the bottom 2 chambers. Out of all that he has the VSD, narrowing of the pulmonary artery area, as well as the aorta that is lined up over the hole. With all that said we do not know how he will be until he is born. As of now with all the echo's he has had they are thinking that he will not be blue, and will act like a normal baby. He may sleep more and not eat as much so he will be small. The only treatment is open heart surgery. Since he has a mild case, the doctors are thinking that he will not need open heart surgery when he is born, but he will need it at about 3-4 months old. On the flip side, if when he is born and is having a hard time breathing or is blue then he will have to have open heart surgery immediately and have a shunt installed unitl his big surgery at 3-4 months old. At the birth, he will be born by c-section and then taken to the neonatal intensive care unit to be observed to see if can breath, retain proper color, and eat good. Because of the mild case the doctors are thinking that he will be able to come home with us. There are a lot of unanswered questions now. We and the doctors will not know all the answers until he is born. We continue to ask for your prayers that he will be able to come home with us, that his heart is better than what they are thinking and that he will need no medication, and grows strong in preparation for his 3-4 month surgery. As a side note, I am glad the movie Frozen came out. Hunter loved that movie and understands it very well. We tell Hunter that the baby has a hurt heart like Elsa and that he has to see a special doctor to get better (luckily not a troll doctor). For now he is happy with that. Sorry for the long and sad post, but just felt the need to get all of you informed in what is going on with our little guy. Love, The Brandon's

6

I can't believe I'm 6 years old today.  Time really does fly.  I just started kindergarten and I'm loving every minute of it.  I go 5 days a week from 8:30 to 3:00.  My teacher is so thrilled that I already know how to read.  I really enjoy learning and I'm so excited for a great school year.

I'm enrolled in gymnastics again and have been doing quite well.  What helps me is that I have no fear.  I'm great at doing cartwheels and front flips into the foam pit. 

I advanced to the next level in swimming lessons.  I'm quite the little fish.  I even passed the swim test so I can go down the water slide even though I'm not tall enough.

I lost my very first tooth.  The tooth fairy left me $5.  I have another one that is kind of wiggly. 

I just learned how to ride my bike with no training wheels.  You wouldn't believe how excited I am. 

Lately I've been able to tolerate some gluten without any ill effects.

I like to color, do arts and crafts, sing and dance, play with dolls and play on the iPad.

Hugs to all!