Who would've known...

I have had my share of doctor's visits, health problems, surgeries...heck, I almost died during pregnancy with my son. However, I'm pretty sure the hardest thing I've had to face to date was last week when my 3 year old boy had to get a tooth pulled. This should not be that big of a deal. Well, putting a 3 year old under antisthesia when he is the light in your life, the reason your heart beats, the purpose for your being...is surreal.

Last Christmas Wyatt and our dog were outside playing in the ice. As we know, snow and ice in Texas is rare so I try and let my kids experience all things new and interesting in this world. Of course one thing leads to another and my boy is knocked over by my dog. Wyatt falls to the concrete, knocking a tooth out of place.Well, it bled for a few moments- then the realization that boys will be boys swept through my thoughts as we moved on about our lives'.

This brings us to about a week ago when the tooth we had forgotten about started wiggling. One dentist visit later led to the fact that his tooth was detached from it's root and both needed to be removed. So, lo and behold we go to a dental surgeon. He suggests putting Wyatt down under antisthesia for the process- so as not to "totally freak him out." Of course Danny is working, an hour away, and I call him to make sure he is ok with this. We are ok with the process...but I am unaware of the journey I'm about to take.

Sitting in a chair with my three year old son's limp body, corneas twitching because he is "out" is by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do. The nurses informed me he was in an unconscious state and led me out of the room. I walked in to the waiting room and wept. By myself. Staring at the door and waiting for a nurse to come back and get me to tell me he was fine.

Sure enough the nurse came back to get me about 20 minutes later...which of course felt like an hour. She walked me back to his room and there he was...limp, eyes open but he was not there, twitching...they kept telling me he was "fine" and that "he did real well" but as his mother- I was scared. I just wanted him to focus. I wanted him to SEE me. I waited. And waited. Five minutes went by. Then ten more...I was starting to think that he was having trouble coming out of it. And then- his limp arm reached across his little body wrapping around my neck..."mommy" he whimpered...I was elated. Tears streamed down my face as I answered simply, "I'm here."

Back to it...

After months and months of not writing on my blog, I have decided to start up again. The past six months have been more challenging than I had ever begun to dream they would be. But in the same breath, they have been the most rewarding as well. God is god and he has most definitely been working miracles in our lives'.


Our baby girl joined the family on January 12th. Alyssa Lynn Easterly was born! Who would have known in those first seconds that I held her in my arms how much she would teach me in her short life. She has exhibited such strength in her first six months. Two weeks after her birth I started noticing some brown spots on her skin. There were only two at first, but as the weeks went on I noticed more and more. I questioned myself as a mom, at times wondering why I had not noticed these spots at birth? Little did I know this was the beginning of a long period of questioning and uncertainty. 


At her two month appointment I pointed out the spots to our pediatrician, who referred us to a pediatric dermatologist and then to an opthamalogist and finally, a neurologist. Long story short, she probably has a neurological disease called neurofibromatosis. What is that, you may ask? We did. We had never heard of such a thing. Looking it up on the internet scared us so bad that we were in tears for days. My husband stayed home from work and we just wept together. Why? Why did our daughter have to go through this? What did her future entail? It was a long week of sadness and confusion. That was four months ago...


Since then, our baby girl has learned to sit up, she eats solids, she sleeps regularly, eats normally, communicates appropriately and she has the biggest smile you have ever seen. To say this child is developing "normally" is not correct- she is developing "perfectly" for us. Alyssa is just that- perfect. She is physically beautiful, yes. But more importantly she puts a smile on every one's face who meets her. She is smart, loving, snuggly and happy all in one. She adores her brother and loves her dad and I. She recognizes and appreciates her family. She is curious and  energetic. She amazes us in so many ways. God knew exactly what he was doing when he blessed us with this child. Now when we ask the question "why?" it's in a different context- Why didn't we trust that God knew exactly what he was doing?

The time of year...

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I love it for many reasons: the cooler weather, getting to spend so much time outside, the anticipation of Thanksgiving and Christmas, and to add to my list this year: Baby Alyssa's arrival in about 14 weeks! 

My mom, sister, nephew, niece, son and I have been traditionally going to the Farmer's Market in Weatherford for the the past 3 years to take Pumpkin Patch pictures. Today is the day we continue our tradition! Along with the idea of pumpkins, Wyatt has decided on his Halloween costume. Those of you who have kiddos in to Curious George will understand why he has chosen to be a Rodeo Cowboy! Oh yes, not just a regular cowboy. If you ask Wyatt what he is going to dress up like he will be very descriptive! Two and a half has been such a fun age so far. Yes, its a bit more challenging at times but overall we have a really good kid. It's exciting to see him start to understand how certain "holidays" work and what all goes into them. This year will be a blast trick-or-treating. He's already got his pumpkin bucket ready to go and if you ask him, the bucket is "waiting to get some candy!" Bring it on kiddo- this pregnant momma would love to indulge:)

I will post pumpkin patch pictures later. Off to get ready for the day!

Day 2...so much to learn

Ok Friends, this is fun and all but if you know me- you know I don't like to half-a$$ anything so having a very boring blog is sad to me:( I'm still learning how to add stuff! My goal for the day: figure out how to use different (and cuter) font! I will not be defeated!


Onto other news..."So much to learn" does not only apply to my blog. It also applies to the pride and joy in my life- my son. I mentioned yesterday all the wonderful things about him. He is amazing! I could go on and on about his humor, his wit, his intelligence, and his love for all living things. He is so dang excited to be a big brother! We have been telling him that Baby Alyssa needs to grow in my belly some more and when she gets big enough the doctor will take her out. So every day he asks if she's big enough. Last night I made the mistake of telling Danny that I can tell she's starting to get pretty snug in there and Wyatt yells out, "She's ready mom? Dr. Boone can take her out now?! I'm so excited!" We felt awful having to tell him she wasn't quite ready yet. So lesson for the day yesterday, as if I didn't already know, my child is very literal! I'm excited to see what he teaches me today:)

I'm new at this...

Well friends, I have finally caved. I am joining the blogging world after years of pretending it didn't exist (mostly because I didn't understand how to do it!) However, I realize now that a.) it's not that hard, b.) so many of my friends do it, and c.) it's a great way to share with people that I love! So here I am...writing my first post, not exactly sure what people want to know but determined to figure it all out:) 


Where to begin? I guess I'll start with the fact that I am married to wonderful man, we have an incredible 2 year old son, Wyatt, and a baby girl due in January of 2o11. Life is good! I guess "The Ever-growing Easterly Family" has many meanings. Danny and I continue to grow together emotionally, spiritually, and physically (what I can I say, the baby bump is getting pretty big!) We have been blessed beyond our wildest dreams with Wyatt. He is a bright, happy, active boy who brings joy to our lives' daily. We seriously do not know what we did to deserve such a great kid. We are anxious about expanding our family with the arrival of our daughter. January cannot get here soon enough! It's exciting to imagine how life will change having two children but we are ready for the challenge. I'm anxious and ecstatic at the same time. 


As our family continues to grow and change over the years ahead, I hope to connect with many friends and family through this crazy network and cannot wait to hear how those close to me (no matter where you are) continue to grow as well. That's it for my first blog. I'll try this again soon!