Christmas!

CHRISTMAS! It was such a special holiday since we have a new addition to the family. Christmas Eve we spent time with Malone's family at his sister Holly's house in Sugar City. Her kids performed some songs on the piano and violin. We had dinner and just hung out most of the evening. All the grandkids opened gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Yarger and Papa Bullock. Mason was given a beautiful blessing outfit from Grandma Yarger. It was a white suite with tails, a vest, and a bow tie. It was a little big for him, but looked so cute! She also gave him some jammies to wear. Mason also received a Christmas bell from Papa Bullock, a little momento for his first Christmas to put on the tree. Malone and I received gifts from Holly. She gave me a program to use on the computer to make scrapbook pages. Malone got a drill bit set. Christmas day, Malone and I had Christmas morning at our house and then headed over to my parent's house for the day. We opened presents, played games, and spent a lot of quality time there. Malone gave me a really nice coat, and I gave him some clothes. We got Mason a jungle gym playmat, an outfit, shoes, socks, rings to play with, and some socks that jingle when he kicks.





Mason is still doing really great. He found his fists recently and we can hardly keep them out of his mouth. He smiles a lot more now and coos all the time. He is such a happy boy. His hair is getting longer, and I can tell the new stuff is a lighter blonde color. His eyes are still blue, we think they might stay that way now. Mason is getting really good at tracking things with his eyes and when something catches his attention, he really focuses on it. This past Sunday we had the opportunity to have Mason blessed in our ward. Many members of both sides of our family came as well as some friends. It was so nice to be with family we haven't seen in a while! Especially since Malone and I are leaving next month, this might be the last time we all get together for a long time.

Year 2013 Summary

At the beginning of the year that I had a feeling this would be a big year of change for us, and it certainly was! It has  been a crazy year. We found out we were 8 weeks pregnant in March, which turned out to be a  whirlwind of emotions, trial, and sacrifice. But we have an amazing miracle baby now who is very healthy, strong and beautiful. Malone and I had the opportunity to go to Portland and San Francisco this summer. Malone graduated from BYUI in July. We celebrated our 5th anniversary of being married in August. We sold Malone's truck and gave away our dog Kayto. I quit my job at Mobley Physical Therapy after 6 years of working there in September. And now we are leaving our first house we bought after 3 years of living there. Malone got a job offer in Texas in December, which we are very excited about. I will be quitting my job at Broulim's in a couple weeks so I can be a stay at home mom with Mason. And we will be selling our first home we bought together in January.



This year I have learned and grown a lot. I have learned more about faith, hope, and the power of fasting and prayer than I ever thought possible. I have felt more gratitude and love for my family and friends than ever before. I have felt the most sincere love and received so many acts of kindness from others. I found out what it feels like to be a mother and to love a little child more than anything in the whole world. My marriage has been strengthened through the sacrifices and trials that we have been through together. I have witnessed little miracles and have received answers to my many prayers. Even though this year had some difficult times, looking back I can see the blessings. And I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to learn and grow and be strengthened. I couldn't ask for anything more than what I have right now. I feel blessed to have an amazing husband and a beautiful little son in my life. And in the end, family is truly what matters most!

Big Announcement!!!

Malone got a job offer at Parkway Construction in Lewisville, Texas! It's just a few minutes north of Dallas. Malone will be a project manager in the office there. He starts the last week of January. So we have a ton to do between now and then to get packed up, moved out, moved in down there and sell our house here. Malone and I couldn't be happier about his offer. It's everything we had hoped for! It's a little bit of a downer to be so far from family, but this is such a great opportunity for Malone we couldn't pass it up. I have heard that Lewisville is a very nice area. And I can't lie, I'm excited about warm weather! Leaving the 20 degree weather here for 70 degree weather there sounds amazing. We look forward to being out on our own and to have a new adventure.

8 Weeks

Mason is now 2 months old! I can't believe how fast the time has gone. We have certainly been busy the past couple months. Since my last post, Mason saw his pediatrician here in Rexburg. The doctor is very pleased with how Mason is doing. He's doing all the things a typical 2 month old does. His head size is still within normal range and he is growing! He is now 11.6 lbs and 23 inches long! Mason is smiling so much more now and is almost always in a pleasant mood. The only time he cries is when he's tired and when he's hungry, and sometimes when he gets a bath. Mason loves to lay on his back and just kick his legs. He also loves to be held and snuggled and talked to.  Yesterday he just wanted to be held all day long. I didn't get anything done! But I have to say it was nice to snuggle with my little guy all day. I like that he likes to be held by me. I think he is getting close to starting to laugh. I swear last night I heard him giggling in his sleep. He continues to sleep really good at night. Last night Malone put him to sleep around 9:30 and he didn't wake up again till 3:30 am! I just love my boys. And I have to brag about Malone because he is so great about helping with Mason and giving me breaks when I need them! He takes such good care of Mason and me.

6 Weeks- and Mason's first Thanksgiving!



5 Weeks

A couple weeks ago Mason had his first Spina Bifida clinic down at Primary's! Clinic is when you stay in one room while all the doctors he needs to see file in and check him out. Mason saw his neurosurgeon, a urologist, occupational therapist, and a dietician. His neurosurgeon is very pleased with how Mason's head and back are doing. So far the ETV is holding up and his hydro is under control, which is fantastic! His back is healing up really well too. The urologist wants to do a test next time we are down there to see what we are dealing with as far as what his bladder issues will be. For now he's doing great. The occupational therapist gave us some pointers as to things we can do to help strengthen Mason's neck. The dietician thinks Mason is doing good and he has no issues with eating at this point, which is good. SO all good news this time! They told us to come back in two months! Malone and I were so relieved to not have to go back to Utah so soon. We've had to go down so often the last 6 weeks, I'm not sure how much more we could take! At home we have Early Intervention coming to our house. Early Intervention is a free program that comes out to your house to give your child the care he needs if they are going to have delays. In Mason's case we will be having a Physical Therapist come out to the house to work with him and help him meet his milestones. Our goal for him is to just help him meet the milestones kids his age are hitting. At this point he is actually on track, which is fantastic!


6 Weeks Old

6 Weeks

We have been enjoying watching Mason grow. He amazes us everyday. He is cooing, starting to smile more, and he does these happy sighs that I love! He likes to lay on his back and just kick his legs and look around the room. He is sleeping pretty well at night. He sleeps 4-5 hours at a time usually. I only wake up with him around 2-3am to feed him and he goes right back to sleep and doesn't wake up again till 6 or 7 in the morning. The other day I had Mason laying down on the bed, and Malone was on the other side of the room. Malone started talking and Mason started looking around for him! It was so cute!  Everyone loves his crazy long blonde hair, which is by far his best feature. He still has very blue eyes and I am starting to wonder if they will stay that way. Mason is a very happy baby and we feel blessed to have him in our home.

6 weeks and handsome!

Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving! Malone and I went to my parent's for the holiday. Mason wore an outfit his aunt Heidi bought him, it says "My First Thanksgiving" on it with a little turkey on the bum. We have been looking forward to having him wear it for this special occasion! Malone and I were the only ones to come for Thanksgiving this year. It was a lot more quiet and low key than usual, but we had a good time hanging out and playing nertz. The next day we went to Malone's parent's place in West Yellowstone and had dinner there with his parents and sister's family. We played hand and foot, ate lots of food, and enjoyed the great company. At the end of the night, Malone's mom felt inspired to give all the grandkids a little ornament, something that represented them and their spirit of Christmas. Mason received a little beaded candy cane and a stuffed reindeer. I think it will be a new tradition for our family to give our kids an ornament every year to put on the tree.

Mason's First Thanksgiving- 6 weeks

Turkey bum!

Another Thanksgiving outfit from a friend of mine

Grandpa Snedaker and baby Mason on Thanksgiving



Cousin Parker holding Mason at Grandma Yarger's

Emily, Katie, and Hannah holding Mason at Grandma Yarger's

Kurt, Sarah, Holly, Emily, Katie, Hannah, and Mason

12/5/13

We have our Christmas tree up! yay!

4 Weeks Old

It has already been  4 weeks since Mason was born. This month has flown by! In my last post I said that we would be headed back down to Primary's in SLC to get Mason's head checked out by his neurosurgeon. Turned out that his dr. felt same as our pediatrician back home that it is likely he would need a shunt placed. But he said lets wait a week and see how he does. If it is the same or worse we'll do surgery. We went ahead and scheduled an MRI for November 4th, and surgery for November 5th just in case we have to go the surgery route. While we were there we were able to have Mason's stitches in his back taken out and he was cleared to lay on his back now. After they removed the stitches, we could see his back a little better and it looked so good! And we were also instructed to start cathing him only once a day instead of 4 times, which was a huge relief! That day we were able to take Mason home in a regular car seat and since then, we have been able to treat him more normally. We are still careful with his back, but we can pick him up without worrying as much and we can change his diapers while he lies on his back, which is MUCH easier.  He loves to lay on his back now.


Mason after his MRI




The following Saturday (Nov 2nd) we headed back down to SLC.  His head had not improved since the previous appointment. So we were pretty much on track for getting surgery. He had his appointment for the MRI Monday the 4th.Mason had to fast for a few hours before the MRI which was not easy for a little infant. I struggled watching him cry because he was so hungry. Mason had to be sedated for the MRI. I held him in my arms as the nurse gave him the medication.  I don't know why, but I cried as I watched the nurse put him in the big MRI machine. He was just so little and I felt bad that he had to do this at all. His MRI took about 30 minutes, and they brought him out to where we were waiting. At first Mason had a hard time keeping his oxygen up because of the sedative, so they had to put him on oxygen for a couple hours. He didn't wake up for about 3 hours. I knew he was okay because his vitals looked good, but I couldn't help but worry that he wouldn't wake up! Thank goodness he did! He struggled a bit that day because of the sedative, so I wasn't able to nurse until later that night. Since Mason was sedated for the MRI, he had to stay overnight for observation. Malone and I stayed the night there with him on this tiny little futon couch in his room, which made for a long night.


The next day, Mason was taken down to surgery at about 7:30 am. Mason was a good candidate for an alternative surgery to a shunt called an ETV, or an Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy. This procedure opens a hole inside the brain to reestablish flow of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and prevents too much fluid from being made. It also helps prevent future infections and a lower long term complications compared to shunts. So we were excited that he was able to do this surgery. We are hoping this option works for him. If there are any problems with the ETV, it will occur within the next few months so we will have to keep an eye on him for a while. Malone and I waited in the waiting area for about 2 1/2 hours for Mason to get done. All the while I just kept worrying about him and getting teary-eyed. I just worried that something would go wrong and he would have brain damage or something. It's a little scary knowing there is a man in another room operating on my little baby's brain! Eventually the neurosurgeon came and talked to us about how things went. He said that while he was working on Mason, he was able to create the opening for the CSF, and stop part of the brain from making as much CSF. But he wasn't able to get as much as he had hoped because there was a little blood that clouded his vision. But he feels confident that he was able to get enough and that the ETV should work. Over the next few months we'll be keeping a close eye on his head size. We are praying that this works! If not, we'll have to take him back in for shunt surgery. After Mason got out of surgery, he was pretty awake, but had this really raspy weak cry which was so sad! He had to have a tube down his throat during surgery, so I'm sure his throat was a little sore. His head was all orange from the iodine and he has about a 2 inch crescent shaped incision on the right side of his head. He had to stay in the hospital for another 2 days. It wasn't until Thursday afternoon that he was finally discharged to go home. It was a long week at the hospital. Malone and I stayed every night there with Mason. Mason had a quick 5 min MRI on Thursday to make sure the hole made for the CSF stayed open, which it did.

He cried a bit when he was coming out of the anesthesia- he looked so little and so sad. Poor baby!

Poor little guy!

I had asked the nurses to give him a little bath and try to get some of the orange iodine out of his hair. He looked so cute sitting there!

Here is his incision- it's stitched up with dissolvable stitches. Looks a little scabby, but he is doing fine with it.

While we were in SLC, Malone got a phone call Monday (Nov. 4th) from a company in Las Vegas called Southwest Gas who wanted to fly Malone out for an interview. They wanted him to fly out Thursday the 7th, the day that Mason would be discharged. At first I wasn't happy about Malone leaving me and Mason to go to an interview, but after a while I decided agreed with Malone it would be for the best for our family. We were totally unprepared for Malone to have an interview, he had no dress clothes at all. He had to borrow everything from my uncle and cousin. Malone flew out first thing Thursday morning for his interview. He said that the interview went really well and that he is very interested in working with them. They have great health benefits, 401k, good starting pay, pension, and he won't have to move around to different locations as part of his work. He is very excited about it and hasn't stopped talking about it since. We really hope it works out even though it's kind of far from home and not exactly our first choice of places to live.  Malone flew back that night and we were able to go home the next morning.

Since we've been home, Mason has been doing great. We went and saw his pediatrician yesterday and he is happy with the way Mason is looking. He said his head size looks great as well as everything else overall. He has gained a pound and has grown about a half inch! Malone and I are so happy about how he is doing! We still can't believe we have a baby sometimes. Life has sure changed, but definitely for the better. Mason is such a blessing and he has brought Malone and I so much closer. I love having a little family!

On our way home!

One month old!

Mason Dean Bullock's birth story



My last day of being pregnant! This is right before
we checked into the hospital.

The last few weeks have been an incredible experience. Malone and I welcomed our first child into this world. On Monday October 14th, I checked into the hospital at 5:30am. Malone's dad was already there waiting for us. What a blessing it was to have him there with us! A little while later my parents came and stayed with me in my room. After a lot of prepping and meeting doctors, I found myself in the OR waiting to have my baby. Mason  Dean Bullock was born by C-section at 8:13 am. I wasn't allowed to see him then, but I heard his gurgled cry before they rushed him out of the room. It was such a relief to hear him cry, I cried. Malone was with me the entire time holding my hand. The doctors closed me up and I was transferred to a bed and taken to a recovery room. I knew before hand that there was a chance I wouldn't get to see him or hold him when he was first born, so I was prepared. While I was in the recovery room, the transport team who was taking Mason to Primary Children's Hospital stopped in the room so that I could see him. The first thing I saw was this long blonde hair!! I've never seen that much blonde hair on a newborn before. Mason was in a clear plastic box and I could see that his bottom half was covered with what looked like some kind of plastic sack. I wasn't able to see his lesion on his back. I came to find out later that the sac on his back ruptured during delivery, and it was wide open. You could see the muscles and even a little bit of bone. I never did see his back in person, Malone described it to me. The transport team took Mason to Primary's where he was taken care of. Malone's dad met him there later.


The first time I saw Mason

Malone helping clean Mason before his surgery



Mason before surgery (sorry kind of graphic!)

Eventually I was taken to my room that I would be staying in the rest of my time at the hospital. I was really tired after the surgery, it was hard to stay awake. Looking back now, I don't really recall much from that day. The only thing I remember is when Malone came and got me and he wheeled me down to Primary's so that I could hold my son for the first time. It was about 9pm that night, and I had mixed feelings when I saw my son lying there on his tummy with all sorts of wires, IV's, and a bandaged little back. While I was so excited to see this little boy I have heard so much about, it broke my heart to see him like this. Even though he looked so sad, I could see that he looked just like his daddy. And that made me so happy. That night, Malone and I finally agree that we should officially name this little boy Mason Dean Bullock. Mason is the name of Malone's brother who died shortly after birth. I always thought of Malone's brother as a very special spirit who was so strong he only needed a body. And now we both sort of consider him a sort of guardian angel.  Dean is Malone's grandfather's name, who sealed me and Malone in the temple; the man who made us an eternal family. It all just seemed to fit. I didn't name Mason his name because it's popular, but because it's a name that actually had meaning to us both. It's special to us and that's all I care about.

First time I touched Mason

First time holding Mason

The next morning, Mason was scheduled for surgery. I was wheeled down to see him before he was taken to surgery. After he went into surgery, it almost killed me to go back to my room at University. I wanted so badly to be there when the doctor came out to tell us the news of how the surgery went. But I was so tired and in need of medication. The second day after surgery was by far the hardest day for me. I was very uncomfortable and just exhausted. Mason's surgery was supposed to last up to 3 hours, but he was done in 2. The surgery went perfectly. The closure couldn't have gone better, and his back really looks great. We were extremely pleased with the outcome. Since the surgery, now we wait to see if any hydrocephalus kicks in. Since his back has been closed, the brain has to learn to reabsorb all the cerebral spinal fluid that had been seeping out the back. If the brain cannot reabsorb the fluid, it will accumulate and the head will swell. Mason's head size remained pretty stable after surgery and during our stay at the hospital. He has really great movement in his legs, especially his thighs. The Physical Therapist thinks there is some weakness in his right lower leg and ankle. We aren't sure how much feeling he has in his right foot. But he does kick really well, especially when you try to change his diaper.

Mason's back after surgery. It looks so good!

During our stay in the hospital, we were blessed to have many family members come and visit us. It really meant a lot to have family support. Even family members we haven't seen in a while stopped by which was so great! By Friday the 18th, I was discharged from the hospital feeling really good! I surprised many people at how fast I was able to get up and going after having a C-section. Mason saw many different specialists including Physical therapists (checked his movement and muscle tone), speech therapist (to check his swallowing),  pediatrician, and a neurosurgeon. And to our surprise, Mason was discharged the next afternoon. I was so happy that we could all go home as a family, together.

We were instructed as to the care Mason required when we got home. Mason has to be cathed 4 times a day, every 6 hours. We have to change his dressings on his back once a day. Mason has to stay on his sides or on his belly at all times, he can't be on his back and we have to be careful about putting any pressure on the incision on his back for 2 weeks. Mason was not able to come home in a regular carseat, we had to borrow a carbed from the hospital. The carbed allowed Mason to lay on his side during the ride home. And we were asked to come back for a 2 week follow up on November 1st. We are hoping after the follow up he can be on his back like a normal baby.

Since we have been home it has been a whirlwind of new; new responsibility, new routine, new normal. We wake up ever 2-3 hours to feed and change Mason's diapers. Then every 6 hours (day or night) Mason has to be cathed. And I will be honest when I say, it can be extremely difficult to accomplish even these few tasks. Mason has to have his diaper changed while he lies on his tummy. And while we are happy that he has movement in his legs, it makes it really difficult to change his diaper because he has to lie on his tummy and he kicks and screams, making for a very wiggly baby! Cathing is a two man job, Malone comes home early from work just to help me cath him everyday. I really struggle with cathing for some reason, but Malone is great at it.

However, just because Mason was discharged from the hospital doesn't mean he's out of the woods yet. Today, day 5 since we have been home, Mason had a checkup with our pediatrician here at home. Everything checked out good except for the size of Mason's head. Mason's head has grown 3 centimeters in 5 days, which is pretty fast. Our doctor is concerned at this rate of growth and believes Mason will most likely need a shunt placed. While a shunt isn't the end of the world, it is still another surgery. We will do anything for our son, and if a shunt will help him then we'll do it. But Malone and I are both very concerned about him. We got a call from the coordinator in the Spina Bifida Clinic at Primary's today who was informed about our son's current condition. She was also concerned about him and asked us if we wanted to come down tomorrow to see the doctor. Malone and I just couldn't swing that that fast, so we settled for an appointment for Monday. I speak for us both when I say we are both so scared and concerned for our son now. I am afraid he will start to show more symptoms of hydrocephalus between now and when we get to SLC Monday. I don't know what we will do if the doctor says he needs to go into surgery next week for a shunt. Malone has already missed a ton of work as it is. I just hope that things will work out and that Mason will be okay, as well as our affairs here at home.



Looks just like his daddy!

Starting to see his head is getting a little bigger.

More pics to come!