Jumbled - Grandma's, Dr's Appts and more

I'm really not sure what I would do without our mom's.
We are beyond blessed.
Both of our parents live within 2 miles of us.
Most people would look at us like we are crazy. We feel we are extremely lucky.
They are ALWAYS willing to drop anything to help out with Asher, watch Asher or help us.


As I've mentioned time and time again we have had A LOT of appointments for Asher.
We also have very little if any time off from work at this point.
Philip has been traveling A LOT.
I am stretched too thin.
I heavily rely on our mom's

Last week we received some concerning information about Asher that caused my head to swirl.
As recommended by several medical professionals he was seeing a Chiropractor for his torticollis. Typically he would only go during or after an episode to try to straighten things back out.

We had never performed xrays before and since his last episode on 4/1 he had not straightened back out. It had been over 3 weeks. Dr. Mike wanted to give xrays a try to see if he saw anything we were missing and also to get better measurements on him. I was hestitant but did some research and decided to give it a try. Xrays on an active 10 1/2 mo old are challenging. It took 4 people and they were still pretty poor quality.

Dr. Mike did conclude something wasnt right. It was too hard to tell what exactly wasnt right but he suggested that we get an MRI of his spine. When he had his MRI back in Nov it was only of his brain (which makes me iller than ill that they put a 4 mo under anesthesia and didnt do his brain and spine).

We called our neuro in Chapel Hill. He suggested he might need a CT but to call our Neuro in Charlotte to arrange for further testing. I called our Neuro in Charlotte. She refused to see him or order the MRI. She suggested he see a pediatric orthopedics. I asked for the name of a recommended ped. ortho. Silence. Seriously? No one? (can you sense a pattern here? phone call after phone call...) At this point I was losing my cool. I called our pediatrician and they refered me to the best Ortho in Charlotte. They also gave me the name of a new Neuro in Charlotte because we will be switching. Finally an end to this ridiculous circle.

Needless to say the past week I have been anxious. With a husband out of town all week, the grandma's stepped up to the plate. They constantly filled my head with positive thoughts, helped me "think through things" and allowed me to advocate for Asher in the best way possible. I am forever thankful for them ALWAYS.

Luckily Dr. Frick (a member of our temple) practices with Dr. Brighton who specializes in pediatric spinal cases. We brought the xraysto Dr. Frick before his appointment for him to review and confer with Dr. Brighton before Asher's appointment. Dr. Frick even called me at home the day before our appointment to discuss the films. Pretty impressive, these days.


We arrived on time for our appointment. 2:15. They called us back before I had even completed the paperwork. Again both mom's were with me. Thank heavens, because A-man is a squirmer now and I am one of those mom's that is pretty grossed out by Dr's offices and the ever abundant amount of germs in the waiting rooms even if it was an ortho dr.

They took us back. Weighed Asher for the first time in 2 months. He is finally leveling out. Only a little more than a lb weight gain since his 9 month appointment. 24 lbs 9 oz. Then the waiting began. 1 hour passed. Nap time passed with no nap. Angel child was still happy as a peach. Finally 90 minutes later this young handsome Dr (must have been a resident) came in to apologize for the delay. 6 scoliosis patients scheduled when 4 is their max for day. All before Asher's appointment. I guess we can't complain since we were squeezed in.

They took Asher and I back for some x-rays. Again he was an angel. Where did this kid come from? He smiles at everyone, babbles up a storm, plays and waits patiently. I was terrible at his age. TERRIBLE doesnt even describe it. We waited at least another 30 minutes. Nursed in the waiting room. Asher learned how to spin the dr's stool thanks to Softa.


Finally two hours after our arrival the Dr. came in and apologized again. The conclusion was "inconclusive". Nice huh...?! So he requested we perform an MRI with sedation of his entire spine and brain. Yes, please, thank you. I swear I need to change professions.


Between when I started this post and now (which is about a week in length) Asher had another episode. I was heading home from a business trip in Raleigh. Philip was acting strange on the phone with me. It was 8:30 pm. I arrived home close to 9 pm. "Well we need to discuss what took place tonight, Asher had an episode" ...my heart sank. I thought, "I wasn't here to comfort him... thank heavens for such an amazing dad who didn't skip a beat" It turns out not only did he have an episode but he ended up getting two bath's because he projectile vomited all over himself and Philip. This meant Philip took a bath with him. Sounds like fun, actually. He also went to bed without a bottle. I appreciated Philip not telling me till I was at the house so I wouldnt panic alone, driving in the car. We decided to wake Asher up at 11 PM so I could nurse him and at least get something in his stomach. That was a success. He still seemed pretty crooked. The pediatric ortho wanted to see him immediately after an episode so he could assess his "banana position". Go figure...he woke up perfectly straight for the first time after an episode since he was 3 months old.


The good news... it lit a fire under them to schedule his MRI which takes forever because of scheduling anesthesia, insurance pre certification and who knows what else.... We are scheduled for May 17th at 12 noon. Say a little prayer for the little man. The MRI will be performed at The Levine's Children's Hospital here in Charlotte. More updates to follow!


Oh and I'm really behind on posts. As you can see my life has been a little busy....
in addition to traveling for work (way more than I desire, but hopefully that is over for some time), getting ridiculously crafty for the BIG FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY, working in the yard and trying to keep this house together. I cant tell you how many times I think how great something would be to put on the blog only to fall asleep at the computer each night. Yup, I'm that girl.

On the move!

Asher's 2 top front teeth cut through over the weekend.

Our little boy is looking and acting more and more like a big boy as each day passes.

After almost 5 months of physical therapy Asher decided he was ready to crawl this evening.

Luckily I had my cell phone in hand ready to tape him as he began army crawling for the very first time. It was extra special that I got this on video because Philip was out of town and didn't get to witness the first crawl. After I stopped taping he adventured all over the place with his new found freedom. We are so proud of him and are both excited yet nervous about the change this will bring into our lives!

Betty Crocker who!?

After a friend recommended I visit Bakerella

I became hooked...

and obsessed...

which is how things usually happen around here.

In preparation for Asher's upcoming FIRST BIRTHDAY (cringe!) I made these cupcake pops and froze them. Now that I have the technique down I will bake another batch as we get closer that will look much prettier than this test round. They are YUM and oh so cute.

Pleaes refer to Bakerella for directions...but make sure to read some of my tips I discovered with trial and error below if you dare to try this.

First you bake the cake per the directions on the box. (You can get cake and icing for free if you coupon like I do!) Make sure it bakes ALL the way. Let it cool completely. Then crumble the cake till it is fairly fine and mix in one can of cream cheese frosting that is at room temperature. Once combined form balls that are at least 1 1/2" thick in diameter and put them on wax paper.

Place the formed cake balls into the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Once semi-hard remove from the freezer and use a flower shaped fondant cutter size 1 1/4" to shape the bottoms of the balls. Refer to Bakerella's directions at this point because it gets a little complicated to shape them. Once all of the balls are formed into the cupcake shape put them back into the freezer for at leat 30 minutes. Freezer is key. DONT use the fridge...

I made that mistake and they weren't hard or cold enough to work with.

Prior to removing from freezer prepare your chocolate coating. Do not micorwave it. Make sure it heated on the stove slowly. Add 1 tablespoon of Crisco to the chocolate. (YOU MUST DO THIS) No one tells you but if you dont do this they will look extremely bumpy, the chocolate will pull the cake cupcakes apart and its very hard to work with. The crisco smoothes the chocolate out. Did you know that ALL chocolate fountains have Crisco in them to make the chocolate smooth? YUP!

Remove from freezer and dip the bottom half in chocolate, let the chocolate drip off so it doesnt run when you turn it upside down. Place the cupcake on the wax paper sheet. Take a lollipop stick dip it into the chocolate and stick it into the bottom of the cupcake.

(see how lumpy my chocolate looks...that was preCRISCO!)

Put them back into the freezer to harden. Repeat with the top layer of chocolate in the color of your choice. Sprinkle and add an M&M on top to match!

Not only do they look adorable but they taste delicious!

Over these eyes.

Double Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis
What!?
Both eyes.
Eyes that can't see the big E.
Glasses for 2 weeks.
Steriod drops.
Not thrilled about steriods
No choice. That bad.
Glasses that are 5 years old.
BAD scratches.
Wrong prescription.
Cant get new prescription till infection gone.
Headaches
Almost 11 month old that likes to pull them off.

Eye corrective surgery please, thank you. NOW.
Nope sorry ma'am, you have to wait till you stop nursing.
Humpf.
21 years in contacts. O-V-E-R I-T!
New eyes please.
::venting over::

Happy Earth Day!

Exit Photos

After 3 months in Asher's Cranial Band we present to you side by side comparisons from his initial evaluation to his exit appointment.

Feel free to drop your jaw in amazement....we did!

You will notice in this photo that he is titled to one side in the 4-13-10 photo. He had an episode on 4-1-10 that still hasnt fully resolved itself and we are in the process of pursuing alternative therapies to help "realign things". He will start to receive cranial sacral pediatriac massage.

Wish us luck.

and the most noticeable photo difference....

We are just so amazed!

Thank you Cranial Technologies and our technician Kim!

Pink Pride

We (Renee) are brainwashing Asher early...

boys can wear pink too...and look handsome in it!

I love love my boys in pink...bring on the summer!

And how about those two teeth!?!?

da Beach 2010

Our family week long beach trip to Hilton Head was a blast.

Softa, Papu, Nana, Poppy, Sissy and Uncle Rich were all there.

We rented a house in Palmetto Dunes on the lagoon with a pool in the backyard.

The skies were sunny, the water was fairly warm and the temperature was in the 80's.

IN APRIL FOLKS.... Got to love the south!

While at the beach we celebrated my 29th birthday, Our 4 year wedding anniversary and Passover. It was quite a jam packed vacation and only the pictures can truly depict what a great week we all had.

The first night at my birthday dinner: Kingfisher's

Asher's First Day at the beach we a little cloudy, but that didn't stop him from soaking it all in.

This facial expression is priceless!

Monday night was the first night of Passover. Family friends of ours who have a house in Sea Pines (we stayed there back in September for Asher's first beach trip), the Adelson's hosted us at thier beach house. We had great company a wonderful seder and the food was DELICIOUS!

This is a typical Schreibman facial expression...Philip and his dad both make this face often.

Asher was more interested in eating the Passover Hagadah

But he also read it and soaked up all of the information. Smart boy!

Our big family photo at the beach!

Sissy with Ash-man!Our cute little family

Asher's first kiss....He just clearly wasn't that into it.

Molly is 3 years old. She was a cougar!

Back out at the beach...you could've mistaken him for a beach bum!

Dinner at Marley's

Walking on the beach. Asher really learned how to "walk" and take steps on the sand.

Yummy face

He was so curious and interested in the ocean.

He found a LIVE sand dollar...and of course trid to put it into his mouth! This is one of my favorite photso from the beach. Such a special moment for father and son.

Yes, he looks exactly like his daddy.

Asher and his Nana

Asher with Papu

Asher and Poppy

This photo is so appropriate for my dad. He is a NUT.

Softa with Asher and his "shades". He is obsessed with sunglasses so he has his own pair!

One of my favorite family beach photos!

I took so many photos I could only include a few of my favorites.

We had such a wonderful and relaxing time despite the heat/air not working in the beach house and the dogs (yes, we took 3 dogs to the beach) barking too often.

Asher was an angel baby and was complimented often on his disposition and behavior.

He quickly adapted to the crazy schedule and slept through the night every night we were at the beach in his pack and play IN OUR ROOM.

We shopped the outlets and got great bargains because I needed some new clothes to fit my post pregnancy body, Asher needed clothes because he grows like a weed and Philip just likes to shop. Where did I find this man?! We made millions of grocery store trips since we ate most of our meals at the house and feeding 9 people calls for a lot of food on a daily basis.

We hope to make it back as a family every year!

Such a big boy!

Asher is 10 months old today!

(This is a very special outfit that was hand sewn and smocked by a dear friends (Anne Stewart) mom, Sweetie Stewart. It was her first boy outfit she had ever made and it was supposed to be for Asher when he approx. 2....little did we know our boy was going to be so big he was able to wear it at 10 mo!)

Nice view of my teeth and chunky legs!

Ten Months Old...This month brings big changes for Asher.

• Cranial Band came off March 26th
• Sleeping on his side and belly on his own
• Asher has 2 teeth on the bottom and at least one on the way on top!
• His bumpers finally were removed from his crib = WILD MAN!
• His eyes are still Hazel. Blue around the rim and a brownish green in the middle.
• He is eating 100% people food, no baby food - 4 breast milk feedings a day, 3 meals and a snack here or there. Chicken is the most difficult for him to eat (he stores it in his cheek pouches)
• He is working on drinking from a sippy cup. (Thinks of it more to teethe than to drink). He only gets water and breast milk.
• He often holds his right hand in the same position as his Poppy (thumb between his pointer and middle finger)
• He spends lots more time on his belly and rolls to get to what he wants.
• He is rotating on his belly with his arms and is eager to crawl. He is reaching and attempting to pull up on things.
• He can say, "Da Da" but thinks Philip and I are both Da Da. He says several other sounds. bbbb, rrrr, sssss, thhhh. He can mimic "Hey" and grunts in acceptance.
• His clothes are 18-24 months and some 2T.
• He still sleeps from 7:30-7 and wakes up feeds and goes back to sleep for up to 2 hours. He also still takes 2 naps, one at 10 and one at 2:30 each day.
• He is an extremely chill and laid back baby and loves to observe EVERYTHING around him. Complete strangers complete his behavior and disposition all of the time.
• He can sit up on his own as long as you hold his legs down (strange I know)
• He wants everything we have and is EXTREMELY busy now
• Asher LOVES the wind, the ocean and the sand. He also loves wearing Hats.
• Asher has turned into a cuddler!!!!!!

Asher continues to have his BPT episodes which include head/neck/body tilt, eye rolling and vomiting. All very similar to migraine activity. He has had two more episodes since December. One Feb 18th and one April 1st. Both included all of the above symptoms. There is very little known about BPT and very few children that have it. The Facebook support group is less than 80 parents. We have reached back out to his doctors at UNC to see if there is anything else we can be doing to help him through his episodes. Our local pediatric neurologist knows nothing about BPT. Most doctors don't. They do not know the etiology of the disorder. Pretty frustrating I must confess.

Asher developmentally is making great progress, however he is still about 1-2 months delayed. We continue with Physical Therapy every week and everyone is pleased with his progress. Most kids with BPT walk and crawl later than kids without BPT because their trunk control is weak. During his most recent episode he was sitting in the ocean and he fell over. Falling is a common occurrence for kids with BPT during an episode. They either fall or lower their head down to the ground.

Last but not least...the kid has started to smile and pose for the camera.

How can we not love that!?!?

Happy 10 months to our little big man. We are so sad that one is right around the corner ALREADY. Slow down!

I live for this...

We just returned from a week....yup you read that right ONE ENTIRE WEEK, at the beach with the family...both sets of granparents and my sissy and bro in law. It was dreamy.
I took over 400+ photos and am still working on condensing them for your viewing pleasure.

In the mean time.
This melts my heart...This is why I wake up every day.
This is my life. Every night. I love these boys.

Four Years!

Today we celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary...

2 Fools In Love on the First of April 2006!

4 years ago today we joined together forever...

Our wedding day was very special to me since I hand made or designed almost everything associated with the wedding.

I always wanted to find someone to cherish some of the special wedding memories we had in addition to our wedding album, but could never find the time or money to do it.

I present to you the best surprise Anniversary/Birthday present this girl could've asked for...

This gift meant the world to me. Philip somehow located all of the important details from our wedding to include: the program, the invitation, response card, both of our vows and a sacred photo from under the wedding chuppah. I am still unclear how he found them all without me knowing...he is amazing. He designed the frame, positioned everything, picked out the mats and frame ALL ON HIS OWN. Its gorgeous. This photo doesnt even do it justice. I was so touched by this gift. So very meaningful and heartfelt.

On that note it makes my gift look so thoughtless....but as a woman after her mans heart this gift was everything he wanted and more. He has been talking about getting a new golf bag for 2 years. he actually picked this golf bag out and we bargain shopped on ebay for it. We got a steal of a deal and I know he will love it for many years to come. He decided his old bag will be Asher's first big boy bag...! I cant wait to watch him teach Asher to golf.

Happy Anniversary to the love of my life...

I love you!