Events of the day!!!!

Little Bug did not want to go to bed last night...He was up until after 11pm. What a stinker!!!

Connor in his bed...but not wanting to sleep!!

Randy got creative with the way we set up Connor's sleeping quarters. We hung a blanket up with wall tacks to create a barrier so he sleeps in front of the bathroom area and he can't see any light from our area. We played his nighttime sleepy CD from home to make him feel comfortable...let's hope he konks out before 11pm tonight!!!

Just before heading out to the skyway to our appt.

In the hallway outside our appointment area. Mayo Bldg. floor #9

Mama's filling out the book of information on me....WOW...there's a lot she has to talk aobut with the doctor.

Daddy and Connor found an old antique scale....I think Randy's surprised how much Connor has grown...Mama wouldn't even go near the scale...She says posting all these pictures has renewed her energy to drop the baby weight!!! Hee Hee

Daddy and Connor playing in the waiting room before the big appointment.

Here we are waiting for the doctor to arrive in my examination room.

Here we are in the new pediatric floor waiting for the x-ray technician to come and get us.

Mama does a good job of undressing me quick for all these things...

Don't I look cute in my paper outfit!!! Hee Hee...I'm so silly!!

Happy family waiting in the X-ray waiting area.

I'm done with my X-ray and I get to get back in my own clothes...Let's go back to our hotel and play now.

Well, that was my day today. Daddy and Mama are still frustrated with the process here, but we're gonna do our best. Tonight I am fasting after 8pm so I won't get my tube feeding through the night. I will go into the hospital Tuesday at 9am for what's called a gastric emptying study. It will take about 7 hours of x-raying every hour and a half. We'll let you all know how it goes.

We've met lots of people that we need to be praying for. Peter and Wanda need our prayers as do our new little friends Hannah and Addison. We also met a little girl named Anabell that stole our heart. She's a cancer patient and she's so cute. Everyone here has a story and they all need our love and prayers too.

Lovebug Hugs,
Lori

Frustrations are setting in!!!!!!!!

I am sitting here in the waiting room of the Mayo clinic after Connor's 1st evaluation with the doctor. We are frustrated because they don't seem to have any openings for his procedures until Thursday or Friday which will potentially extend our stay. We said from the beginning that we would do anything for Connor, but it will be frustrating to sit in a hotel for 3 days doing nothing.....waiting!!!!!!! We're here, let's get things done!!!!!!! Ugh!!

The appt. was uneventful in the fact that Connor was a little ham and delight. He didn't have any of his episodes to "show" the doctor, so everything was simply a report of information. We have been hoping that someone would be able to see what Connor goes through to sympathize with his plight and to understand the seriousness of his problems.....but no, not today....he's in rare form which is nice, but frustrating to say the least.

Medically speaking they are looking into doing upper GI and lower GI tests as well as blood work, liver function, thyroid function, gallbladder function, pancreas function, gastric emptying studies and the like. We'll keep you posted on our progress...right now it looks like things aren't going as smooth as we would have liked. But.....we will remain positive and prayerful that we're going to get somewhere here.

Lovebug Hugs,
Lori

We're Here!!!

Our great adventure has begun and we are safe and sound in Minnesota. The trip went well and Connor did quite well on the plane and shuttle ride today. We are going to get some sleep and prepare for a big day tomorrow. Here's the pictures of the 1st day of our journey.



Just getting dropped off at SeaTac at 5:45am!!! Wow that's early for a Little Bug!!



Daddy's giving Little Bug the drill on checking bags and gives Mommy a hard time that she's overpacked....In Mommy's defense, she just had to have outfit options for me, you never know how we might need to dress. Options are always good in Mommy's eyes!!! Hee Hee




Ridding the tram at SeaTac to gate N11...Whee...........This is fun Dad!!!



Getting ready to go through security...I can't believe they make you take a 3 year olds shoes off!!!


On the plane making our reservations for the Go Rochester Direct Shuttle.


Waiting for the shuttle in Minneapolis....I'm so tired!!!


Playing on the floor in our hotel room. Hey guys, can we go to the pool soon!!!

We'll post more tomorrow. Keep praying for us!!!

Lovebug Hugs,
Randy, Lori & Little Bug

We're Off To Mayo....

The bags are packed and stacked by the front door. Kids are tucked into bed and we are scuttering around doing last minute things to prepare for our trip. This will be short so that we can go to bed soon.

Please be praying specifically for Connor tomorrow that he will be peaceful on the flight and shuttle ride to Rochester.

Tonight as I reflect upon the week ahead and I anticipate what is about to happen for Connor and for us, I am quiet in my heart and I am hopeful and trusting that God is in the process of working a miracle for Connor. I am reminded of a song that I used to sing as a teenager in our youthgroup. I want to include the lyrics here because I would hope this is how all of our blogger friends and family can be praying for us.
The song is entitled, "I promise to pray for you"
I promise to pray for you, to lift you up before the Lord. I promise to always speak your name before His throne. That new life in Him you'd find, that He'd give you peace of mind. I promise to pray for you, God's love to embrace you."

When I was running last minute errands today the above song came to mind and I was singing it over and over in the car. The part that says, "that new life in Him you'd find, that He'd give you peace of mind" made me think of Connor finding a whole new life ahead, free of pain and aggitation and a new sense of peace and calm within his little body.

Please pray for us. We will keep posting daily so everyone knows how we're doing and what is going on.

Lovebug Hugs,
Lori

Big News!!!!!!!!! Mayo Clinic here we come!!

As so many of you know we have been praying for a long time that we would be able to take Connor out to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to see if they could help him. Well, as of Friday at 9am I received the phone call from Mayo that Connor was accepted as a patient and they want us out there for his first appt. on the 19th at 9am. WOW.............So here we go, off to Minnesota on Sunday and then anywhere from 5 to 10 days at the clinic. They've told us to be prepared for 5 days in the clinic with a possibility for more, but there's no way to tell that until they evaluate him on the 19th. Yet another grand adventure for Little Bug.

Connor turned 3 years old on Sunday the 11th. I can't believe our baby is 3 years old already. The timing of this trip just couldn't be more appropriate. The best gift we could ever give Connor would be a life of good health and happiness. We feel that this is our time to get to the bottom of things that have been a mystery for Connor for so long. Please join with us in prayer that he would be a great little traveler on Sunday and that the week would be helpful and miraculous. We've seen God do an awful lot of things for Connor and we trust that this endeavor will be no different. As you pray, would you ask that God would give clarity to the doctors that will see Connor. The first doctor that we will see is Dr. Jeanie Tung. She will do all of the initial evaluation and decide upon the treatment plan. We are trusting that she has understanding, compassion and unconventional wisdom that it will take to get Connor moving in the right direction. As you will remember from the very beginning with Connor he has had unexplained bouts of pain and agitation with all things regarding the GI tract. He has been a mystery to every doctor that has seen him and although they verify that there is a problem, they cannot identify what that problem is. We are desperate for Connor at this point. It is getting worse and he has got to find some relief so he can get on with his little life and be free of pain in his body.

The plan is in motion for the trip, but it isn't without hiccups along the way. Randy is gone in LA on reserve for AA until Saturday night, then he flys home for us to leave Sunday morning. I got struck with some kind of physical illness yesterday that left me flat out. I'm trying to ween the baby for now until we get back, get things set up for travel, lodging and transportation while in Minnesota and determine the best comfort for traveling on a plane with Connor. This is a HUGE endeavor for us. My mom will be staying with the two little ones until we return home.

There is so much more to report at this time but the details will have to remain sketchy at best. Connor will be starting preschool when we return from Minnesota. He was supposed to start this past Monday but we decided to preserve Connor's health before taking him on an airplane and spending our time in Minnesota. We are excited about his class and his teacher and all the people that will be working with him. He will get to work with a Physical Therapist, Speech Therapist and Occupational Therapist. He will also continue with swimming therapy which has been a great asset to him in strength building. He will be in school for 2 1/2 hours Monday - Thursday.

Tuesday of this week we had a great appt. with a child neurologist that was able to give us some vital and informative information regarding Connor. We've been waiting for this appt. for over a year so it had been much anticipated on our part. He was able to assure us that no brain damage occurred during Connor's first year of life in the hospital. This has been of significant concern to us because of all of the drugs and narcotics that were administered to Connor over those dreadful days in the ICU. The significant delays that we experience with Connor are most likely the culprit of Connor's level of daily pain and the amount of time and effort he puts into not only managing pain, but anticipating it. The doctor was hopeful that when we get his GI issues figured out, treated and under control, we will see a whole new little boy emerge with new skills, greater understanding and greater cognitive development. This was all good news to us.

Mackenzie and Alex are so enjoyable and growing like weeds. Mackenzie is nearing 2 years old in April and she truly is little miss independent. She has a mind of her own and spirit just like her mama!!! Alex is 4 months old now and doing quite well...not sleeping through the night yet, but hopefully that will emerge soon.

Randy and I are truckin' right along with the busyness of family life and the transition of his schedule with AA. He is gone about 23 days a month with his flying schedule which leaves us "winging it" quite a bit!!! Thank the Lord that his grace is sufficient for us and for our needs. I would really love to go on and on about things that are happening at the current time, but my moments are limited to get things done before leaving for Minnesota. Please pray...pray...pray...and ask everyone you know to pray for Connor during this time of exploration into his physical illnesses. We are trusting for great things for Connor and incredible insights from this trip. We will have a computer with us in Minnesota so we will update the blog frequently with progress and prayer requests. Please keep checking back. We will also be able to receive emails so we would love to hear from you with your thoughts, comments and encouragement.

Lovebug Hugs,
Lori

CATHCHING UP ON PICTURES!!!

Hi everybody...thanks for stopping by to say hi and see our family!!
Enjoy the pictures that Mommy posted. It's been a while so some of them are old, but at least you can get caught up on how we're doing. Enjoy!!!

Connor and Daddy on his first day of pool therapy. Get ready Connor, you're gonna have a blast.

Daddy and Connor and our pool therapist, Erica. We're playing the kicking game. Erica is getting my "kickers" warmed up.

Erica says, "Ok Connor....1, 2, 3" and I jump into her arms in the pool. Soooooooooo Fun!!!

Daddy helps Erica with my kickboard exercises. They're fun because I get to splash!!

Splash, Splash, Splash!!!!!

Hey Alex, would you like a drink of my water???

"I do my own stunts" Such a cute gift for Alex from Uncle Gary and Auntie Lynette. Thanks guys!!

Playing in the dirt with Daddy!!! He lets me get a lot dirtier than Mama does. I love dirt!!

Uh-oh....someone's in the dog house!!!

Eating dirt is fun....really it is. Don't worry, I'm just getting a little extra iron in my diet. Mama is mortified, but Daddy loves a dirty girl!!!

Oh what fun. Let's do this again tomorrow Dad!!!

Alexander just 3 days old.....Where did the past 8 weeks go??

Hey, who's that in Kenzie's dolly buggy??? Oh, I guess that's Alex. What a fun toy he is in the family.

Connor standing up in his new big boy room that he shares with his brother. This was taken the first night we were home from the hospital with Alex.

Mackenzie loves putting her pop beads on her cheeks. What a silly girl. She's getting her first cheek hickies....they better be her last! Hee Hee

Saying goodbye to Daddy at the airport when he left for training.

Ok Daddy, we'll see you in a month. Have fun in Dallas and come home quick!!!

3 generations of the Robertson boys!!!

Alex was a little cow for Halloween. Got Milk is so appropriate.

Connor wearing his "Super Suit"! It helps his posture and balance. What a cutie!!!

Pumpkin patch pictures.....Soooooooooo Big!!!!!!!!

Hey Mom, I like this flower best!!!

I don't know what you people think is fun about this pumpkin patch....It's cold and these big orange things are cold and hard....I want my Mommy!!!

I've got the best smile of the bunch!!

Getting my zzzzz's before we leave for the pumpkin patch.

Starting to smile....Ahhhhhhhh

I'm getting bigger everyday.

Hi Daddy.....I miss you. Come home soon, OK!!!!

Our little peanut!!!

Our little fashionista!!!!

Mom, I thought we had the talk that I don't like to wear hats????

All right, I'll be a good girl and wear it....but only for 10 minutes...GOT IT!!!!

See you later....Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Come back and visit us again soon.
Lovebug Hugs,

Connor, Mackenzie and Alex