STETSON'S WALKING

Stetson is Walking

He took his first steps at 9 months and has gotten better and better. He is all over the place now. We put child locks on the cupboards and when he first tried to get into the pots and pans after they were put on he wasn't very happy. But he still manages to find things to get into. He is really healthy and very happy. I can't believe he will be one year old next month!

Answers Finally

Some answers finally!! We have done several different tests and treatments to see how it affects Doug and his symptoms and based on those results the doctor has come to the conclusion the he has one of three things – Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis or another form of Colitis. He has been rushed in to see a specialist on February 6th for another colonoscopy, upper GI and an upper scope to find some definite answers. I was happy to finally have some results and Doug thought it was the end of the world because he was told with these diseases he will need to have a change in career that doesn’t require physical labor which is something he enjoys. Anyways, there’s the update, I looked up information about the diseases in case you wanted more info. We are doing really well with all of it. Doug has his days that he doesn’t hurt as bad as others. We appreciate all of the love, support and prayers we have received in our behalf. We appreciate you all!

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines. It primarily causes ulcerations (breaks in the lining) of the small and large intestines, but can affect the digestive system anywhere from the mouth to the anus. Crohn's disease is related closely to another chronic inflammatory condition that involves only the colon called ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease have no medical cure. Once the diseases begin, they tend to fluctuate between periods of inactivity (remission) and activity (relapse).
Ulcerative colitis causes chronic inflammation of the digestive tract, is characterized by abdominal pain and diarrhea. Like Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis can be debilitating and sometimes can lead to life-threatening complications. Ulcerative colitis usually affects only the innermost lining of your large intestine (colon) and rectum. It occurs only through continuous stretches of your colon, unlike Crohn's disease, which occurs in patches anywhere in the digestive tract and often spreads deep into the layers of affected tissues. There's no known cure for ulcerative colitis, but therapies are available that may dramatically reduce the signs and symptoms of ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s Disease

Big Boy Crib

Stetson’s crib got broke in the move and Grandma and Grandpa Black had an extra crib that we put together for him. He absolutely loved it. We put him in it and he played and played. He crawled from one side to the next and up and down and up and down. He has a lullaby machine at the end of the crib so when he wakes up he plays with that and then knocks on the wall when he’s ready for us.

Bath Time

I feel like I post a lot of Bath time pictures of Stetson but that’s what he loves! He splashes and throws things. He is not afraid to dunk his head under or lay down in the water. He crawls as fast as he can to the bath tub when he hears the water running or he will knock on the door when he hears the water and someone else is in.

What an update

WOW!! What an update. I haven't been able to blog since OCTOBER! I am a slacker. Hopefully it wont be that long before the next update comes. Life is sure busy though. In the last 3 months we have moved into a new home, Halloween, painted our shed and plowed our lil field, had family come for the weekend, Thanksgiving, Doug's birthday, Trip to Las Vegas, 6 Christmas parties, Teaching sunday school, ward temple night, double dates with friends, my best friends farewell, putting up christmas lights and shopping for the holidays - And during all of this I have had strep throat and tonsilitis, Stetson had an ear infection which perforated his ear drum, and Doug being sick so we have made up to 3 trips a week for him to see his specialist in salt lake. There are some days that I dont get all of the dishes done or the floors swept and mopped and I have learned fast that its ok - I know that the most important job for me each day is to spend time with my baby and take care of my husband. I have missed blogging though and hope that I will be able to find more time to keep in touch with everyone.

Merry Christmas

We had a really Wonderful Christmas! We had dinner with Great Grandma Black and another dinner with Great Grandma and Grandpa Cox. We opened gifts, played games and enjoyed each others company. All of the Grandkids got pajamas and one toy from Grandma and Grandpa Black on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning we were at the Blacks again and then we went to Grandma and Grandpa Hatch's for lunch, gifts and games. It was so good to see everybody and get everyone together. Christmas is such a wonderful season and we were happy to share it with all those we were able to. We love you and wish for you the best in the upcoming year. Merry Christmas!

Family Christmas Parties

I love the Christmas Season and the spirit it brings! I wish it was Christmas all year long. It is so good to be able to see family and play catch up with all of the exciting things that happen through out the year. It's kind of unfortunate that life gets so busy that we only get to see some family just once a year or at special occasions. It was so good to see everyone. We love you all and miss you throughout the year. Although we cant see everyone throughout the year, you are in our thoughts often!

Viva Las Vegas Baby

Viva Las Vegas

Doug and I were able to have a well needed vacation and it was Great! We were able to get vacation package with the hotel room, rodeo tickets, transportation to and from and food. We road down with the best friends anyone could ask for, Cash and Sarah. We stayed in Mesquite the first night. We went bowling and then go-karts with Cash's family which were a blast! Then the next morning the we all went to a clay pigeon shooting range. Sarah and I drove around in a golf cart from station to station as the guys attempted to shoot the clay pigeons. Then we headed out to Vegas! The rooms were really nice and the food was good and cheap. There was so much to see and do there and we didn't have enough time to do it in. We did alot of shopping and to a horse sale and the belt buckle ceremony. It was cool to see the cowboys and their families up close and personal.

We really enjoyed ourselves and were so thankful to Doug's parents for watching Stetson. We missed him dearly but it was really a great vacation.

All of us at the Rodeo Finals!

Cash & Sarah


We had really good seats and could see everything!

And of course the Clown!

Bucking Bronc and Bulls!

Doug is Sick

Doug is Sick!

I have had several requests to post updates of Dougs condition and what is going on since I often am to busy to update everyone. I told Doug that it was just because they care about and are concerned for him and asked Doug how he felt about it since it can be personal. I got him to agree as long as its not to detailed.

The 1st of November, Doug got really sick. He wasn't able t0 keep any food down him and their was blood coming out of both ends. He was in a lot of pain and he said that he felt like his insides were on fire. He was so weak I had to help him get up to the bathroom and take a bath. He said he didn't have enough energy to go to the hospital in the middle of the night so first thing in the morning we went in and they sent us directly to the ER room. They did every test you could think of and once they received the results from most of the tests, they said us down and told us that he was pretty sure that Doug had Colon Cancer which is surprising since he is so young. I was shocked. I thought bleeding ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome but not that.

They allowed us to go home with follow up appointments. I did all I could to nurse him back to health starting from water, gatorade, soup and he is finally able to eat. He had more tests and a colonoscopy done. When they received the results back from that, the doctors said us down in amazement and apologized for the wrong diagnosis and that there are several other possibilities of what it is.

We are now seeing a specialist at the U of U hospital in Salt Lake. We really like him and are glad that he is willing to work with us to figure out what is wrong and find something to work for Doug. The only down fall is that he is in Salt Lake so, we have taken up to 3 trips to Salt Lake in a week which is 3 hours from where we live.

Right now we are doing a series of a few different tests in hopes of getting some answers. In the mean time we are enjoying Doug being home. I think one of the very frustrating things for him has been staying home and not feeling well enough to do very much. Although he would like to go back to work the doctor is still not signing a release for him. He does have his good days and bad days. We are hoping for the best and doing what we can. We really appreciate everyones love and support. I have to apologize for not being good at keeping everyone updated or not informing them at all. One of the hard things when talking to others about this is that we dont know what is wrong and there are questions that we dont have answers to and it is hard to tell people and answer their questions when we dont know ourselves. The other problem is, we have been extremely busy and I hope that no one takes offense because of it. I will do my best to keep you updated. We probably wont know anything more until he is done with 2 more tests which take 2 weeks each.

We sincerely appreciate all of you love and support and understanding! We have been so blessed through it all. We know that the lord knows what is best for our family and that he has a plan for us. We are very hopeful that everything will turn out the way it is supposed to be.

My Growing Boy

Oh Boy is Stetson growing! He is in 18-24 month clothes at 10 months! He weights 24.6 lbs. He has 8 teeth and working on more. He crawls all around and is almost walking. He waves hi and bye but I dont know that he knows why he is doing it other than everyone else is and he gets attention for it. He is laughing more and "talking" more. He loves people in general and can brighten anyones day. We love you Stetson!

He loves to be in water. We took him swimming for his first time and he was kicking and splashing and blowing bubbles.

Doug & Stetson shopping for Cowboy gear!

Stetson on Uncle Jason's motorcyle