Swing Batter Batter!

Ben and I went to see Hector play softball last Thursday night, and it was about the sweetest thing I've ever seen! It was the first time that I've really seen Ben want to be just like daddy. He was plugged into the whole game. For the first few innings, he just starred at the field and didn't move. He watched every play. Then he started yelling and clapping. Most of his yelling happened to take place right before the opponents would swing... oops! I was afraid the ump was going to say something. And every time Hector would walk on and off the field, Ben would wave and/or yell at him. It was so sweet.

Then in the second to the last inning, he wanted to get down. I thought, that's it, he's done. He's tired of watching. But he wasn't. He just wanted to get down so he could stand on the bleacher, with one leg propped on the step in front of him (just like his daddy does) and cheer even louder. It was so precious, and no one was there to see it but me! There were times during the game when he would take my hand and point to different players on the field so that I would explain to him what they were doing. I couldn't believe he was really comprehending the game. I had a major mother moment. I almost started crying.

So after the game, Hector gave Ben a bat and he started swinging it and hitting the ball like it was a hockey puck. He loved it! He didn't want to leave. He started crying when Hector picked him up and made him get in the car. The next day, Hector set up a bases outside in the driveway and started pitching to Ben. He's got a ways to go, but I think he's off to a good start.

Easter Fun

This year, Easter was so much fun with Ben. He is at such a neat age. Every day he seems to develop more of a personality. A couple of weeks before Easter, Mom, Ben and I went to the Dallas Arboretum with Noah, Ellie and her Mom. We had a ball. The boys had so much fun running around and playing together. I think Ben’s favorite was the petting zoo! He didn’t really want to pet any of the animals. For him, it should have been call the starring zoo! That’s all he did is stare at them. But he sure cried when we left. That’s actually when we knew he was really enjoying himself! We tried to get his face painted, but he was having none of it! We also got his picture taken with a live bunny. I thought he would love it! Not so much. As you can see in the pictures, he was doing his best not to touch it. But we got some cute pictures anyway!

We also decided to try dying Easter eggs this year. We thought it would be a disaster, but it worked out great! Ben did awesome. He definitely got his hands dyed too, but that’s about it. He didn’t try to pick up the cups and he handled the eggs very carefully. I was so glad we did it. The only problem is, the other day I got eggs out to make corn bread, and he cried for the eggs! Uh oh.

Easter egg hunting was not really Ben’s deal. His mellow self came shining through. He had more fun watching everyone else. I think Jesse put more eggs in Ben’s basket than Ben did! He sure looked cute doing it though! Easter is the one time of year we splurge on a nice Sunday outfit for Ben! He was totally decked out this year.

NYC

A couple of weeks ago, Savannah, Ben and I went to see Meredith and Serge in NYC. I was a little concerned about going that far without Hector, and it definitely posed some challenges, but overall we had a ball. Five people cramped in a 600 sq/ft apartment was definitely a little crowded but Mere and Serge were very hospitable and let us have the bedroom. We ate just about every kind of food possible. It was all wonderful! We saw where Meredith worked. We let Ben play in one of the big city parks. He had a blast!

Savannah and I got to go see the Lion King and Mary Poppins on Broadway! It was awesome! Dad knew the guy that manages all facilities for Disney on the East coast, so we got great tickets for free! TO Lion King, we were on the 5th row center. To Mary Poppins, we got to sit in one of those box suite things. It was awesome! Savannah thought she had died and gone to heaven! They were both incredible shows! Aunt Mimi and Uncle Serge spent some quality time with Ben while we were out!

We also got to go back to where Hector grew up in Harlem. The weather almost kept us from getting there, but we were determined. When we finally got to Grant’s tomb, a memorial where Hector always went growing up, Ben was sounds asleep! But not for long! We promised daddy we would get some good pictures, so we woke Ben up. And of course, he woke up happy and was a perfect angel the rest of the afternoon. After Grant’s tomb, we went by his old apartment. Columbia University bought it and totally renovated it. You would never know by looking at his street that it was in Harlem. Now, a couple of streets over, a different story! It was really neat to take Ben to the place that Hector grew up. I can’t wait for Hector to come with us next time. That will be even more special!

Anyway, it was a great week with great memories made. Thanks Mere and Serge for an awesome trip! And thanks Sav for all your help with Ben. And thanks ITunes for having Fresh Beat Band for Ben to watch on the plane ride!

A Great Weekend with Friends

The Thomas's came in town this weekend from Stephenville. It's the first time they've been back as a family since they moved in November. The Williams and the Santiagos met them at the Botanical Gardens on Saturday for a picnic lunch. Savannah and Blaire came too. It was a great time. The kids had a ball, and the weather was beautiful! It actually felt like Spring. Savannah, Ellie and I all ended up sun burnt, but oh well, it was worth it. Thank goodness I put sunscreen on Ben.

That night, we left the kids with grandparents, and we went to Chuy's for dinner. As much as we love our children, it was so nice to have adult time. Then Sunday, they came over for lunch and Katie cut Ben's hair. He desperately needed a haircut and Katie did an excellent job. I told her she has to come in town at least every other month to cut Ben's hair.

Sunday night we had YFM, and all the kids were together. It was such a blessing to see the great kids Ben's getting to grow up with. And the wonderful relationships we're forming with the couples in the group. Zimmermans, Morans, Williams, Medinas, Thomas's, and Brauds, and Belts (along with others who weren't there) - you hold a very special place in our hearts. Thank you for helping the Santiagos grow in our mission to glorify God as a family in all that we do! We can't wait to continue the journey together!

God, thank you for friends. Thank you for the friends you've put in Hector's and my life, and the friends you've put in Ben's life. Thank you for sweet memories and every day I get to spend with my two special men! I am completely unworthy, but eternally grateful!

Where's my Daddy?

It's amazing how much has happened in the last month. Saying that, I'm so aware of how much more could have

happened, and I'm counting every blessing. But here's a recap just for memory sake!

- About 3 weeks ago, Ben got really sick with some sort of a virus. He only threw up once, but then he wouldn't eat for about a week. With him being so small already, that completely stressed his mother out!

- In the midst of Ben being sick, I myself started feeling bad. I was nauseous, very hormonal, and had serious stomach cramping. For a second there I panicked and thought I might be pregnant! Don't worry! It was a false alarm, but it definitely added the number of gray hairs on my head.

- Finally, to top it all off, last Tuesday night, Hector started complaining about a headache. I didn't think much about it because he gets headaches pretty regularly. The next morning at 5:20AM he woke me up complaining of an excruciating headache. He said the pain was unbearable. Then he started throwing up. We tried to give him pain medicine and nausea medicine but he couldn't keep them down, and when he finally did, they didn't do anything for the pain or nausea. Finally we decided to go to the ER. Little did we know the average wait time was 6 hours! I've never seen the ER that packed. Just our luck. Hector stayed in his wheel chair and I stood up as much as I could holding his head in my hands because it provided a little relief.

After 5 hours, an iv and a ct scan, we finally got back to a room. Why they put an IV in 3 hours before they give you any medicine beats me! Actually it made me mad. Everyone we saw along the way kept talking about migraines. And I knew, and Angela knew, this was not a migraine. At least not like anyone anyone we know has experienced before. When I would tell the nurses that, they would say, "every migraine is different". Anyway, he finally got a little relief, but he should have gotten complete relief. So they decided to do a spinal tap. The doctor said it came back clear so they were going to send us home. I about flipped! I asked Hector what his pain level still was. He said a 7. I said to the doctor, "Your going to send him home with a 7 pain level on major drugs with no idea what he has." I kid you not, his response, "OK, I'll admit him". I couldn't beleive it. It was like he knew Hector needed to stay but decided to see if we'd just leave. Unbelievable.

Finally after being in the ER for 12 hours, we arrived in a room. It took another 12 hours to get his pain under control. When they did, he was basically unconscious. He slept probably 20 hours a day for the next two days. When he would wake up, if the medicine was anywhere close to due, he would be hurting again. Over the course of Thursday and Friday, our doctor, Dr. Greco, who was awesome, called in a neurologist and an infectious disease specialist who ran about every test on him, including an MRI. All of the tests came back clear. They finally decided it was a migraine induced by viral meningitis. Can you beleive it? One is bad enough, but both! That explains the pain. Meningitis causes severe heachaches as well.

On Saturday night, the neurologist took him off all of his pain medicine, which totally freaked me out. He ordered this migrain medicine called DHE instead... with no back up pain meds just in case. I pitched a fit, the nurse called the doctor, but the doctor assured us that if it didn't work, they would change plans during the night. Well, my fit was for nothing. The medicine worked like a charm. They gave it to him about 11PM (two hours late of course) and it ran for an hour. Hector fell asleep which i saw as a very good sign b/c he had been really hurting without the pain meds (which he hadn't had for the last 9 hours!) He woke up at 2AM and I asked him about his pain level. For the first time, it was a 1 and he was awake! He actually decided to watch some TV.

The next day, doctor Greco came in and told us that the final test they ran (a specialty test that had to be sent off) came back positive for enterovirus in his spinal fluid, confirming the viral meningitis. Over the next 2 days Hector progressed incredibly. They had to put a PIC line in because of how many different medicines they were pumping into him just in case it was bacterial meningitis (it took 3 days to confirm for sure that it wasn't. ) His veins couldn't take the medicine anymore. That was a process I was glad I missed! A catheter to the heart? Hmm.. not for me. And he only had it in for one day. Why they didn't do that at the beginning, I don't know!

Even though he was feeling physically better, Hector really missed Ben, and Ben was definitely wondering where the heck his daddy was, so on Sunday we brought Ben up to see him in the waiting room. It made his day and helped him survive the rest of his hospital stay. Monday he got to come home, after 5 nights in the hospital. He went back to school on Thursday. He's doing great, but his mind is still a little groggy, probably from the massive pain meds they were giving him. Anyway, we're thankful he's home and ok. And we appreciate Aunt Angie, Sassy, Abuelita, and everyone else who stepped up to help with Ben. Did I mention Mom and Dad happened to be in NYC during this! Talk about timing. But everything worked out just fine. Thank you Lord that it was viral and not bacterial!

What a great day!

As I mentioned in my last entry, Ben's favorite show is Fresh Beat Band. They end every show with the same song, and they bridge that song with the same tag line, "What a great day!" Then they break into their song and dance.

Well all I have to say about today is, "What a great day!" God is good, and today he allowed us to create family memories that will last a lifetime, especially with the 174 pictures we took!

Hector and I started off the day at about 6am when i got up to make his lunch and coffee, and he got up to get ready for school...until he looked outside and saw all the snow. So we turned on the TV to see if Crowley was closing school for today, and of course they didn't. But my husband being the awesome father that he is, made the executive decision to close school today for Mr. Santiago. Thus began our great day.

Hector got out our old ski stuff, and make sure we were both totally bundled up. He and I sat on the front porch for a while and enjoyed the beautiful snow. We walked around a little bit to see just how much snow there was, but we were careful to take as few steps as possible to not disrupt the perfect snow covered ground.

When Ben woke up about 9AM, we bundled him up with major layers. Noah and Ellie came over and we played in the snow for about 45 minutes. He and Noah neither one were quite sure about what to think about this cold stuff falling from the sky. The after Ben took his nap and ate lunch, we went back outside. This time, he was sure he liked it! He actually loved it. We were out there for at least two hours building our snow man, making snow angels, and catching snowflakes on our tongues. The cold didn't phase him.

We finally decided about 5 to come in to warm him up a little bit, seeing as we don't have water proof clothes for him and his pants were soaked! So we stripped his wet clothes off of him, I bundled him up in a blanked and we watched an episode of Fresh Beat Band (the only show my child will watch). Within about 15 minutes, Nana, Aunt Angie, Sassy, and Caleb were at the door. And you know what that meants. Back outside! They couldn't miss the opportunity to see Ben in action. I think the third time was a little much, he didn't last long. But the rest of us had fun with a serious snow ball fight. I told Caleb, it's a snow ball fight, not a snow bolder fight! But we had a blast. I was so glad they came by.

Then we capped of the day with some Little Caesars and after Ben went to sleep, a stroll in the snow with my husband. That you God for such a great day!