Tombstone Tournament

I mentioned in the previous post that Parker's basketball team won the tournament, so here are the pictures to prove it! Dave (the head coach) is the yearbook teacher and he has access to really nice cameras. He allowed me to snap a few photos with his camera during the tournament and I got a couple cool action pictures. I am still learning the ropes of photography so hopefully my skills will improve over time. I am nothing compared to my sister Whitni, maybe she can teach me a few tricks! 

Tombstone Tournament

This last weekend, Parker's basketball team had a tournament in Tombstone, Arizona. The team went undefeated and took home the championship! It was so fun to watch high school basketball, it has been a LONG time since I have watched any high school ball. Our team beat a few teams they lost to last season which makes the upcoming season hopeful! For those of you who don't know, Tombstone is a historic town. It's where the famous shoot out with Wyatt Earp and "Doc" Holiday took place. They have preserved the main street to look authentic 1870's and it certainly feels old when you walk around. Here's a bunch of pictures from our weekend adventure!

Here is a shot down main street.

EVERYONE dresses up in their cowboy gear every Sunday and they put on little skits that are quite comical. What you don't see in this pictures is another man standing 15 feet away with a bottle that these four are supposed to shoot. He tosses the bottle and they all "shoot" they guy who tossed the bottle instead of the actual bottle. It was pretty funny! I guess you had to be there.....

The team lookin' tough on the streets of Tombstone.

"Doc" Holiday took a minute to pose with the team. He then told the team that the picture turned out quite well considering how ugly the they were! He was really funny!

Parker, myself, and little Colton with "Doc" Holiday and Wyatt Earp. They said we weren't allowed to smile.

These next three pictures were taken inside the Bird Cage. It's a completely original building (down to the wall paper and paint!) and it used to be the hot spot of Tombstone. The show "Ghost Hunters" came and surveyed the building and named it the most haunted building the United States. There were live shows, heavy gambling and ladies of the night (if you know what I mean). I'm not going to lie, the building had a very eerie feeling.

This piano has sat in the exact same spot since 1881! It was shipped around the tip of South America and brought from Sand Diego by mule train..... makes you appreciate airplanes.

There were two or three poker tables grouped together with original cards and chairs. The people who work at the Bird Cage say they hear cards shuffling almost every night after the building is cleared of tourists. When they go over to the tables, nothing is moved and no one is physically occupying the chairs.

This is the original bar just inside the building. It even has a couple bullet holes with the slugs still inside. The bottles (that you can't see) are also original, they were so cool looking!

Here is an original 1850's Wells Fargo Wagon. It has been used in over 50 (yes 50!) western movies! It was really neat to see up close.

I think every parents takes a picture of their kid with their shirt half way off. Colton was awesome throughout the weekend considering he didn't get to take naps on time and sometimes not at all. I LOVE his face in this picture!

Christmas Comes Early

Colton has gotten extremely bored of his current toys, so we decided to open his Christmas gifts a little early. His new toys help with his development and he really seems to like playing with them. Here are a few pictures of our "Christmas Day".

Excited about his new toys!

He really liked eating the paper.....

So happy to open presents!

You know Christmas is going to be good when the gifts are bigger than you are!

A Christmas Miracle

Colton does NOT take a bottle. He hates them and refuses to even put one in his mouth. I blame myself. I didn't give him a bottle young enough, nor did I give him one frequently so he could get used to drinking out of something new. Recently I have been giving a much greater effort toward getting him to take a bottle so he doesn't have to be attached to my hip. Even my greatest efforts are no match for his refusal. Then the Christmas miracle happened. I was in the grocery store, walking down the baby aisle when I saw it. A cute green sippy cup with a spout very similar to Colton's binky. I bought the cup (Six bucks for a kids cup? Really?) and didn't think much of the purchase until later that night. I put some water in the cup just to see what Colton would do. The water was really cold so when he looked up at me with the face of "Hey?!?! I just got a brain freeze!" I knew, he knew how to drink out of the cup! I decided to put this cup to the test. I put 2 ounces of breast milk in and away he went! Drank the whole dagum thing. IT'S CHRISTMAS MIRACLE PEOPLE! I was a proud momma that night. Now, I just need to be consistent which will be tough because right now Parker and I are out of town in Tombstone (Yes, the same place they filmed the movie! His basketball team has a tournament here, many pictures to come!) and I forgot the cup........ of course. Anyhow, keep your fingers crossed for this kid. We need this sippy cup!

The miracle Cup!

I love that he holds the cup himself. I tired to help hold it for him and he didn't like that one bit.

The Wellness Check

Colton had his wellness check yesterday and everything went just fine. He is now 17 pounds 4 ounces and a lengthy 27.5 inches long. He is in the 90% for height and the 50% for weight. He is really thinning out! I told the doctor my concerns about Colton not eating solids and she said not to worry. Babies are just fine on breast milk until they are nine months old and he gained significant weight so he is fine on milk alone. She said to continue trying solids once a week and hopefully he will catch on to eating. I hope he catches on quick because he is waking up early at night because he is hungry!

Happy Half Birthday!

It's official, Colton is half way to his first birthday! I can't believe how quick time is going. I love Colton so much, I never knew how much joy a baby could bring. His personality is growing and so is his body! He has his wellness check on Monday so we will have official height and weight coming soon. Hooray for babies! Colton is super excited to meet friends and family this Christmas....... or maybe thats just me?

Colton likes to tear down the animals from his mobile and sleep with them.

Fresh out of the bath!

Colton loves his baths! I am usually more wet than he is after bath time.... he's a splasher!

1 Week Old

6 Months Old ( he insisted that he help hold the bear. I couldn't get the best pictures, he moves too much!)

The Ultra Sound

Colton and I went to Phoenix hospital so he could get the ultra sound on his neck today. I laid Colton down on the hospital bed and the nurse attempted to put the ultra sound wand on his neck, but Colton had other things in mind. He wanted to play with the wand and eat the ultra sound gel..... crazy kid. After two minutes Colton decided that he didn't like the ultra sound all together. He was pushing the wand away and finally decided that screaming would be the best way to show just how much he hated having that stupid wand on his neck. I was doing the best I could to hold him steady so the technician could get the best pictures of his neck but Colton won that battle. He is so wiggly and kind of strong! Anyhow, after many tears the tech. got the needed pictures. She wasn't able to tell me exactly what she was able to see (they never can), but she hinted that she didn't see any cysts. She did say that finding a cysts is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, the cysts would be millimeters big at best. I looked at the screen and I didn't know what in tarnation anything was so I will just wait for the doctor to call here in a few days. I will be sure to let you know what we find out.

Baby Bum Crack

I don't think there is anything cuter than a baby bum crack!

A Very Happy Thanksgiving

Parker and I decided to take on the task of preparing Thanksgiving dinner for the first time! Lots of work, but lots of fun! Parker prepared the turkey and he did an excellent job. It was super moist and it made even better gravy. Thanksgiving is ALL about the gravy! I did most everything else (pies, mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls....) and everything turned out pretty good. I do need to work on my pie crust skills and Parker's mom agreed to give me a lesson over Christmas. I can't wait for Christmas (as if my blog didn't give that away!) to come so I can see all my family. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, here are a few pictures from ours.

Ready to eat that Turkey!

The pies that went straight to my thighs.....

After....

Before.....

Family portrait

I loves my boys!

Branchial Fistula

Since Colton was born, he has had two little dimples on his neck. I made sure to point them out to the pediatrician and she checked them over and told me they were nothing to worry about. The next check up, I told her that they were leaking fluid and she got a more concerned look on her face. She referred me to a surgeon (skipped the specialist all together) of whom I went to see today. He took a look at the dimples and told me what they were and where they came from. The dimples are called Branchial Fistula and the fluid they leak (mind you the fluid is VERY minimal) is saliva. Apparently, this happens during gestation, around the fourth week. The best way to explain what it is, is to think of a skinny straw. That straw goes from the outside of the neck, through the skin to the inside. Unfortunately, the only way to fix this is through surgery. It about broke my heart when the doctor told me my little one was going under the knife. Surgery has been scheduled for January 13th and to make things worse, they only fix one at a time so my little guy will be having surgery twice! I can't even believe this is happening. I know the surgery will go fine, but it makes me SO sad that someone so little has to take on SO much. The surgery will take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and scarring is generally very minimal. The incision will be a half inch to an inch long depending on the severity of the fistula. The only other concern is the chance of a cyst. Many times fistulas are accompanied by cysts so they will be doing an ultra sound to see if there is one. If there is, that may result in a larger scar but it is much better to take care of it now rather than later. If we don't do anything, there is a chance of infection and in the case that there is a cyst, it will only get larger over time. It is much better to take action now.

There is a picture below to help illustrate what a fistula is. I found this on the Internet so I am sure this is a dramatic picture. I can't imagine my little one has a fistula this big but, it gives you an idea. Keep little Colton is your prayers!

This isn't Colton, but this is what his dimples look like. I couldn't get him to hold still long enough to take a good picture!

Here is a link to the best scientific explanation I could find.

http://gpnotebook.co.uk/simplepage.cfm?ID=-2140471263

We've been Elfed!

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Eating Rice Cereal For The First Time!

This video makes me smile! The first minute is quite entertaining but then it gets kind of lame. Watch when he gets his first bite, he looks just like a dog when it gets peanut butter on the roof of its mouth! Too funny!

Scary Sleeping

Colton really freaks me out on occasion. He LOVES to bury his head into his crib bumper and I am really nervous he will suffocate himself. I have tried taking the bumper down and not only does he not sleep as well, he gets his arms and legs stuck in the slats. Any suggestions?

Apparently, we own a giant mouse.

Hooray for Pictures!

I got a surprise package from Whitni this morning! I was so excited to see the CD of pictures (she took amazing pictures while I was in Texas) and a birthday gift! She sent a bottle of the most amazing tomatoe basil soup I have ever had, I can't wait to eat it for dinner tonight! Hooray for sisters. Here are a few of the pictures she took. Are they not the most amazing pictures ever?