Port Aransas 2012

This years beach trip landed us in Port Aransas, or "Port A" as the locals call it.  We wanted somewhere we could drive to easily with the boys.  We stopped in Spicewood on our way down and did the 8 hour drive back straight through... any more than that would have sent us over the edge, I think.  Port A ended up being the perfect spot!  (And, it was strategically chosen because the closest town, Corpus Christi, has a Children's hospital... luckily, we didn't have to use it!)

We went through VRBO for our rental, which ended up being perfect for our family!  It was the back 2 bdrm, 2 bth apartment of a vacant house.. so we got to use the decks and yard all to ourselves and still be in a cute community.   

Our first night there, we went to the original Waterburger and went to the the Corpus Christi Hooks game... they were playing to Frisco Roughriders, which Charlie is a fan of. 

 The best part of the trip was, of course, the beach.  Much better than Galveston (in my opinion) and not crowded at all (at least in mid-May, that is the case).

 Other favorite activities included taking the ferry across the bay, feeding the seagulls, splashing in the ocean, and flying a kite.  And, going to the Texas State Aquarium.

 Until next time Port A!

Beach Babies

 Collier- age 6 mths.

Charlie- age 3

Is there anything cuter?  

Full post from our beach trip to Port Aransas coming soon!

Balls

These are truly fantastic... and perfect for dessert!  

Raw cookie dough bites

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup raw almonds
• 2/3 cup raw walnuts
• 2/3 cup raw oat flakes (see note below)
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup raw agave nectar
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. In a food processor, process the almonds, walnuts, oats, cinnamon and salt to a fine meal.
2. Add the agave nectar and vanilla and process to combine.
3. Next, add the cocoa nibs (or chocolate chips) and pulse just to combine.
4. Roll the cookie dough into balls (about 1 tbsp each) and place them on a cookie pan lined with parchment paper. Place the pan in the freezer for about an hour to firm up. Store balls in a tightly covered container in the freezer.

Notes

Raw oat flakes can be substituted for regular rolled oats (or certified gluten-free oats, if necessary), but if you want this treat to be truly raw, look for raw oat flakes, which haven't been steamed or toasted during processing. I buy mine locally from a company called Grainstorm.

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And these I made up on my own, but are adapted from here.  (This is a great blog btw... it is written from a girl in Lake Highlands who has taken 1 year to lose 75 lbs.  Super inspiring!)

1 cup walnuts

1 cup almonds

1 cup raw coconut

1 cup pitted dates

1 cup raisins

1/3-1/2 cup honey 

3 tbsp. chocolate chips

In a food processor, process the nuts and coconut.  Add the dates and raisins and continue to process.  Add honey and continue processing.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Let sit in refrigerator for 20 minuted before rolling into balls.  Enjoy!

Platelet Count #6

The above image was taken last week.  This is petechiae bottom from having Collier in the baby bjorn.  Looks bad, but doesn't bother him in the least!  The baby bjorn will be used less and less in the future.

On to the good news!!  This week Collier's count is at 9,000.  While this isn't a huge increase, I am so thankful to be in the "+" category for once.  Maybe this means that things are taking a turn for the better??

Perspective

My across the street neighbors son, who is two, has had leukemia for about a year now. (He is now in the remission phase.) Today I got to talk to her about Collier's case. She said that when they started her son's platelet count was at 50! What the what?!?! I am now totally thankful for our 7,000! (Again, normal is between 150,000-450,000). Her sons' red blood count was unbelievably low also. Perspective is a good thing!

Thankful for...

In regards to Collier... while I'm taking his ITP a little hard, there is much to be thankful for.

1. That his body knew something was wrong and showed signs of petechiae which prompted me to take him to the doctor in the first place.  I tried to take a picture of his petechiae with my iPhone... it's above.

2. Something I am continuously grateful for is that it's not cancer... and that his white blood count has continued to be in the normal range.

3. That we live in a city with a fabulous Children's Hospital and for our team of highly qualified hematologists that are completely on top of our case.

4. For Collier's age.  Many times when he gets his blood drawn he is happy and smiley through the whole process.  That Collier is not yet mobile or very active... less threat of head injury!  (If it were Charlie, I can see that this would be a problem.)

5. That I decided to stay home this year and that Collier is not in a daycare setting or under the supervision of anyone but me.  I don't have to deal with the "what if something happened and I wasn't there" aspect or decision making. 

6. For my group of college girlfriends.  All of us are, in some way, in professions that deal with children with problems.  They "get" that this is a big deal and see it for face value.  I so appreciate them and their support.

So, whenever I am feeling down that my 5 1/2 month old's bone marrow isn't functioning properly I will come back and refer to this list and find peace in the thankfulness of all of it.      

Our Date

Charlie and I had a mommy and son date last Friday to see the Fresh Beat Band.  The concert was awesome and completely worth everything that went into it to make it happen.  If it comes to a city near you, I highly recommend!

T-Ball

Charlie started t-ball a couple of weeks ago and, of course, is loving it.  Patrick is one of the coach's, so it's really been fun for the whole family!

Platelet Count #5

Little man's count is down to 7,000 this week.  (Enter sad momma face here.)  So, new plan... if it's still low in a couple of weeks the doctor says we might need to take a look at his bone marrow just to make sure all is looking ok.  Good news is that we got the go ahead to go on our pre-planned beach trip next week.  She encouraged us to already map out our route to the hospital and take our count with us just in case.  Will do doc!  Collier's 6 month shots are coming up.  Our hematologist would like to see the platelet count be between 25,000-50,000 before going ahead with those.  So, a couple more weeks of waiting, watching, praying and a little bit of beach time in between!