9 months

Happy Nine Months Benjamin! How time flies! We can't believe you have been with us for nine months. Our pre-Benjamin days, seem far away. You have really taken off this month, crawling and climbing everywhere. Take it easy on us, ok?
In a couple weeks, we will celebrate your first christmas. Daddy and I can't wait to share this new experience with you. Continue to grow and keep us smiling buddy!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

12/7 CF clinic visit

Today, Ben and I made the 2 1/2 hour trek to UCSF. We had our usual, every 10-weeks, cf appointment with Dr. Nielson. Ben still has a bit of a phlegmy cough so we decided to go in a couple weeks earlier. I don't think we could have asked for a better appointment. Ben weighs almost 22 lbs, which is up 3 1/2 lbs from the beginning of October! That puts him around the 70th percentile!! Yay!! He is 28 inches long which is around the 57th percentile. This is all good news, we want to keep Ben around or above the 50th percentile (must be all those waffles he's eating!). His ears and throat looked good, but his lungs did sound a little coarse but not crackly which is good. Because of his continuous cough, Dr. N and the nurse practitioner decided to put Ben on a 5-day round of Azithromycin to help clear it up. We didn't see the dietician, she was busy and since Ben's weight was so good, she didn't feel like she needed to stop in. I was told not to worry about him only eating waffles, keep introducing new foods, but just be glad he had a healthy appetite. We won't need to see them again until February. All in all, a good day!

Hold on!

Here is a video of Ben standing by himself. Before we know it, he'll be walking. Oh, and as of right now, the only food Ben will eat is waffles and pizza. I think this is my karma coming back, for that whole year I would ONLY eat Top Ramen when I was young. Hopefully, my little man won't be as picky of an eater as I was.

Ben standing by himself from Margaux Hughes on Vimeo.

Big Boy

Ben has really taken off this last month. He can crawl faster then I can run after him and he has started pulling himself up on everything. His favorite thing to do is stand at the coffee table and eat his dinner. He can stand by himself while eating and at times, watch Sprout. Yep, life is hard here in the Hughes home! Ryan and I are exhausted at the end of the day, Ben keeps us on our toes! He has come down with a nasty cough and a low-grade fever, but I'm hoping that rest, Tylenol and some tlc will help him feel better in a few days. I have a call into UCSF but I have a feeling, they are just going to tell us to monitor him and come in if he gets any worse. Hopefully he won't so please keep him in your prayers.

Thankful

I wanted to do a Thanksgiving post earlier but we were out of town for Thanksgiving and I have since come down with Mastitis. This is something I would not wish upon anyone. The good news is that I am not contagious and don't have to worry about staying away from Ben. I wanted to do a David Lettermen-style "Top 10" things to be thankful for.

10. A roof over our head. Yes, it isn't a roof that we own but I am thankful that everynight we have a warm, dry place to sleep.

9. Ryan's job. In these times I am so grateful to have a steady income. Even if we wish it was higher, so many people are without. This is not lost on us.

8. Our health insurance. When I get the bills in the mail and see what your insurance is paying versus us, I am thankful. With Ben's CF, we could quickly spend hundreds of dollars a month on medical bills. Luckily we don't.

7. Our CF families/friends. I don't know what I would do without the internet. I have connected with so many other CF moms that have become a huge support to me. Even though I have never met these women, I feel closer to them then ever before.

6. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. For every dollar that is donated, 90 cents goes directly towards finding a cure. They want a cure as badly as we do. If you have a chance, visit their site HERE.

5. Our CF team. The team at UCSF consists of people who generally care about Ben and his health. They want to see Ben grow to be an old man. They have the attitude Ryan and I need. We are thankful for all their work and advancement in finding a cure for CF.

4. Our friends in Sacramento. We are so glad to be back where we belong. Our friends are there for us when we need a babysitter or just to get out of the house. I can't wait to see the team we build for Great Strides 2010. We have so much support.

3.Our families. We are so lucky to have supportive families that will help us through any troubled times. It's amazing how many people love Ben and would do anything for him. We are so thankful to have you in our lives.

2. Benjamin. A little man that has brought us more joy then we could ever have imagined. He is our whole world. We are thankful for his health and how well he is doing. We won't stop until there is a cure. It's all for him.

1. My husband. My soulmate and great love. He works hard for his family and always wants to do more. He would give Ben and I the world if he could. I can't wait to grow old with him. I love you, Ryan.

He's gonna be so mad

One day, my son will be mad at me for putting these up. However, I happen to think that he has the cutest butt ever and I have to share it with you. I hope he can forgive me.