February 2011

Introducing THE "Major Dadd"

Yes, you read it right and we're not talking about the 1990's TV show! Steven was promoted to Major on February 1st and I couldn't be more proud of him :) We know how to time big events, so his promotion ceremony was no different....Grammie & Poppie and PaPa both drove from Houston to be here for the big event, and it turned out that February 1st was THE COLDEST DAY in CO Springs for the past 15 years! The show went on, but it was definitely interesting getting everyone out in weather where -2 was the high! The highlights included a frozen kitchen sink & dishwasher pipes for 3 days (which also indirectly caused a hairdryer emergency & Lawson getting his hands stuck in sticky mouse traps!), a much lower than expected turnout for the ceremony, and our parents having to drive home with icy Texas weather. Even so, the weather didn't hamper our celebration of Steven's big accomplishment, and we were blessed that nothing worse happened and that everyone got home safely. Congratulations Steven on your hard work & it will definitely be an unforgettable day!

Steven with his brother, Army Captain David Dadd, who also came up for the special event!

Peyton's Sleep Study & Eye Exam

Because Peyton is still on a bit of oxygen at night, we finally did a sleep study at Denver Children's hospital. Back in October when his overnight test looked so good, we thought he'd be off the O2 by now and that we wouldn't have to do the sleep study, but since he hadn't gotten any better since then, we decided to go ahead with the overnight study. I had been warned by other moms and I knew he wouldn't sleep great, but nothing prepared me for the reality of this test! Poor little Peyton...they connected him to more wires than you could even imagine....here a couple pics after it was done...he was so exhausted due to the time and from crying that he fell right asleep. The only problem is that since he had so many wires coming off of him, everytime he moved he would get tangled in them; therefore, neither he nor I slept much at all that night :) The good news is that they got what they needed and there were no surprises...it pretty much confirmed what they already thought was happening, which is that he is having "pauses" in his breathing at night due to the high altitude here and lack of O2 in the air, coupled with his "chronic lung disease." We have him on a 2 month breathing treatment now that will hopefully boost the lung disease enough to decrease the pauses and get his O2 saturation where it needs to be at night. So we are praying that is the case and that we can say goodbye to this darn O2 once and for all in the near future!

I thought they were done, and then they put O2 cannula and this sensor that hung over his lip! Poor little Boy!

Peyton also had a follow up eye exam, but unfortunately, the staff was not on their "A-game" that day and really messed up the visit. Therefore, they were not able to tell for sure what was going on...she said she "thinks" it looks like the left eye has gotten worse and the right eye is still perfect. So, we will just see the doctor who performed his laser surgery when we are back in Houston and get her opinion....we are praying that this doctor in CO is wrong and that the left eye has not gotten worse and that he will not need glasses soon. Although, we know if he does need them, that will be fine too!

Other than those 2 issues (lungs & eyes), Peyton continues to do remarkably well! He is still trying to walk (getting closer every day!), is talking up a storm, and continues to stay healthy and pass his developmental screens for his corrected age---PRAISE JESUS!!!

Here are a few random pics of the boys in February....

First time daddy took both of his boys in the bike trailer/jogging stroller...Peyton looks really uncomfortable in this picture, but he actually seemed to love being close to his big bro and enjoy the ride!

9 month (corrected) Pic with Hopper :)

Just being silly in their matching shirts from Aunt Kim & Uncle Jeff

Air Force Ball/Valentine's Day

Finally, Steven and I were able to go to the Air Force Ball this year & made it our Valentine's date :) It was at the Broadmoor Resort, and we had a "Ball!" The food was wonderful, the entertainment was amazing (didn't know the AF had 40ish airmen whose sole job is to entertain, but they could definitely give any broadway show a run for their money---wow!), and it was neat to be in the presence of so many military men & women and to be reminded of the sacrifices so many of them make for our country...pretty humbling and inspiring. Here is a pic of us when we got home....

Stay tuned for a March update soon, as it's our busiest month! Lots of fun with Anniversary & 2 Birthdays! Thanks again for your friendship and for keeping up with us. Hope you are doing well!

The Dadd Family