Bryce's Heart Cath

Bryce's heart cath went great. Dr. McMahon called us a little bit ago and we are waiting to see him in recovery! We appreciate every single prayer that was sent up on our angel's behalf. We felt every one. I will try to give details later
but no other surgery needed anytime soon!! Love you all!!

UAB Trip Next Week

Big Mama (Jon's Mom) and I took Bryce on Wednesday to see Dr. Israel for a check-up. Back in the Summer, we were told that a cath lab procedure might be necessary in the future to keep one of the valves from narrowing too much where it was reattached during open heart surgery back in January. Basically, where they had to switch the vessels back during the arterial switch operation, the scar tissue is building up and is causing the vessel to narrow, making it difficult for the blood to flow smoothly through the valve. So, back to UAB we go this coming Thursday for a balloon angioplasty with Dr. McMahon, the interventional cardiologist and Dr. Law, a cardiologist that was present at Bryce's open heart surgery. We will have to stay overnight and get to come home Friday. There is no doubt that my little man will pull through this like he did back in January but we are scared to death. I will take him Monday morning to the pediatrician here to get his pre-op blood work done. Please pray for Bryce to have minimal pain, a successful procedure, and be a big, brave boy. He is precious to us and we love him so much. Although it is hard going through all of this, we know God has chosen us to be his parents and He has big plans for Bryce! Merry Christmas and I will post soon on how everything goes.

Loves Mickey Mouse:)

Shutterfly Christmas Cards

Just wanted to give everyone a sneak peek at our Christmas card! If I could send out 500, I would. May you have as much Love and Joy this Christmas Season as we have had with our little man this year! Enjoy!

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Turkey Day and Such

Bryce had a wonderful first Thanksgiving. We of course got up and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade to start the day. He loved all of the big balloons and characters. We did lunch with Jon's family and then hosted my side of the family for dinner. Bryce had his first bite of mashed potatoes (loved them!), sweet corn and mom's sweet potato casserole. I think my dad even snuck him a bite of dressing. The day after, I was at Belk at 5:30 am. I know I'm crazy but I just had to get in on the Black Friday madness. Mom had come to keep Bryce for awhile while I shopped because Jon had to go to work. She called me shortly after I left for my second round of retail therapy and said she thought we should take Bryce in to see the doc. He had a little cough and was pretty restless. We did and sure enough, he had his first ear infection. Poor baby boy! He is so good. You would have never known he truly was feeling bad. He weighed 17 lb. and 14 oz. Edging up to the 10th percentile for weight. Go Bryce and Go Similac Advance. I was very blessed to breastfeed him for 9 1/2 months but I am sure enjoying the formula too. Hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving. We sure have so very much to be thankful for this year!! Bryce also put his very first ornament on the tree...Mickey Mouse! This Christmas is shaping up to be a very Mickey Christmas! Can't wait.

Catherine (2nd cousin) and Bryce

Hanging Mickey on the tree

Bryce and KK

Catherine's First Birthday

I was a little under the weather this past weekend but I did manage to make it to The Little Gym at Providence in Huntsville for Catherine's first birthday! Another big milestone this week was Bryce starting on formula. A long 9 1/2 months of breastfeeding my little man. I am so glad I did it and have absolutely no regrets, but boy is it nice. Here are a few pics from the birthday bash!

Happy Birthday Catherine Rebecca Miller!!

Hope he keeps his birthday hat on at his own birthday party!

Sweet Boy

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater

We took our little pumpkin to his first Punkin' Day and to the McGee Farms pumpkin patch on Saturday. Can't wait to dress him up in his bat costume in a couple of weeks. Halloween is so much fun with a little one! Enjoy the pics! Oh...a few milestones lately before I forget...he was 16 lbs. 5 oz. last time I took him in for a little check-up for a little cough he had. He is about 29 inches long....he is going to be a long, slender boy. He is now crawling/"worming" all over the place. His favorite tv show to watch is Mickey Mouse and his favorite game is Peek-a-boo. He cracks up laughing when you say Boo. He has such a precious little laugh and it is truly music to our ears! He is so much fun and we just love him so very much!!

First Trip to T-Town

So...I'm a little behind but, my time these days is spent working and spending every spare moment playing with and enjoying my Bryce man! We took him to Tuscaloosa (instead of going to Chattanooga as previously mentioned) for the first time a few weekends ago for Homecoming. He had a ball with me and his daddy and KK watching the parade, picnic-ing on the quad, and exploring the Bryant Museum. He stayed with KK during the game while Jon and I went to the game. It was a great weekend and we were thrilled to introduce him to the Tide for the very first time. Hope you enjoy the pics as much as we do!

Little Bama Fan

Roll Tide! We are so excited to welcome another football season! Bryce and daddy both dressed in their Alabama football jerseys to cheer on the Tide last Saturday....I think Bryce fell asleep right after kick-off. haha Precious baby is just not old enough to hang with the big kids yet. Bryce is developing the most precious little personality. He loves to laugh at his daddy and has the sweetest disposition. He is trying very hard to crawl these days. He has had quite a few falls on his face trying to take off. He just rocks back and forth and takes his chances. He can pull himself up to his knees in the pack and play and in his baby bed.......oh yes, we have to watch him very closely. He is such a complete joy and we still laugh sometimes at the fact that we are parents. He now has a new sitter, Debbie McFall. She is wonderful and we are so blessed to have her. She is a retired teacher so obviously, she takes a lot of time with him playing, reading, and petting him during the day while we are away. My mom still keeps him part of the time as well which is such a blessing. He loves his KK and he doesn't nap well when she is here because they play hard and she keeps him laughing! Anyway, ROLL TIDE! We are planning a trip to Chattanooga soon (Alabama vs. Ole Miss weekend) so that should be a fun-filled family weekend. Jon and I absolutely love Chattanooga this time of year and there are lots of photo ops for our new little family. Hopefully Bryce will be old enough to enjoy some of the fish at the aquarium.....ok, maybe not, but it should still be a blast!! Thanks for reading.

7 Months this week

Wow! Bryce will be 7 months this Tuesday. Crazy how time is flying. It is hard to believe that he is sitting up, starting to get into everything, starting to reach for mommy and daddy, and I could go on and on! This is such a fun stage but I know each stage will have its own joys and I am so thankful each and every day for this precious life that has so richly blessed mine and Jon's life! Even harder to believe is that its been 6 months since we came home from UAB. While at UAB, we longed for home, our familiar surroundings, our own bed, and to introduce Bryce to his home and puppy dog. Now it's been 6 months since we got to do that and before we know it, we will be planning his first birthday. I am so thankful. As I rocked my precious boy to sleep tonight, I couldn't help but think about what so many people have told us. "Soak up every moment because you will blink you eyes and they will be all grown up." Just watching him sleep and getting to rock him right now is the most wonderful blessing from God! I prayed and prayed while we were at UAB awaiting his big operation that I would experience these days with him, to rock him, to hold him, to nurse him, to be "Bryce's mommy"! I cherish these days and look forward to many more........He had his first yogurt tonight. Pear yogurt...the boy loves pears which is the funniest thing because you think bananas, peaches, apples (he does love apples), but pears just doesn't usually come to mind first when you think of what a baby might like but he scarfs them down. His usual breakfast right now is oatmeal and apples, sweet potatoes in the middle of the day, and carrots and green beans for dinner. Dr. Crenshaw told us this week at his 6 month check-up that he could now have some yogurt so we tried it and it was a definite success. At his check-up, he weighed 15 lb., 4 oz. and was 27 inches long. She told us he was going to be long and slender...just like his daddy! We just love him so much. I will end my blog with some recent pictures of him and some from UNA Fan day today. Go Lions!

Bryce's First Beach Adventure

I cannot tell you what a fantastic time we had this year with B-man on his first summer vacation, July 18-23. First, we stopped off in Birmingham to see his pediatric cardiologist (went great and he weighed 14lb. 12 oz.) and then continued south to Point Clear but not before we made a pit stop at Peach Park and got pictures with the big peach and horses..... The Grand Marriott-Point Clear is amazing if you have never been. Bryce had a ball putting his feet in the sand for the very first time, swimming in the gigantic pool with mommy and daddy, and playing at the tiny splash pad. Mommy and Daddy felt like kids again going down the waterslide. Bryce had just recently started eating solid food so that was nice to get to feed him from a spoon some of the time rather than breastfeeding him 7 times a day. After a couple of nights, just the three of us, we met the rest of my family at the beach in Gulf Shores where we ate lots of great seafood, shopped til we dropped at the Foley outlets, and chilled on the beach. Bryce had the best time on the beach...thank goodness I brought his bathtub for him to play in on the beach...he was able to stay out one day from 10:30 until about 3 which is a big deal for a 6 month old. He loved playing with his cousin Catherine. Next year will surely be a treat when both of them are toddling. He was such a great traveler. I think we stopped once going down and once coming home. Can't wait to decide where to head to next. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the pics.

Independence Day

The Fourth of July has always been my favorite "flag" holiday but this one was especially fun because Bryce man was with us this year! We pool hopped all day long! We started off the day with Aunt Gwen who was in from North Carolina. She stays at the Residence Inn when she comes so we had a big 4th of July bash there complete with barbeque, swimming, and lots of family fellowship! After that, we hopped on over to The Sains and swam there for awhile before heading out again to Sammy and Diane Durdunji's for a little cornhole competition! We completely wore little man out! We ended the day with Bryce snug as a bug in his crib while we sat outside and watched fireworks:)

I can't forget to tell you that Sunday, we were invited to the May's 3rd Annual 4th of July bash! They had rented an inflatable water slide and had a huge slip 'n' slide! So fun.....until I tried the slip 'n' slide and busted my hip! Yes...I have one lovely bruise. Needless to say, I stuck with the water slide after that! Jon insisted that he take Bryce for his first ride on the water slide. Yes, I gave in. I was nervous about it but he was just fine. It was too cute...picture below:)

Hope everyone had as much fun as we did on the long 4th of July weekend! Happy Independence Day!

Life Lately

Ok, I know....I'm falling behind on my blog posts but lots of things have been going on lately. I became a "Working Mommy" on June 20. I am now working for Steve Pierce State Farm selling insurance and I love it so far. My mom and Heather Davis, who keeps him in the church nursery, are keeping him Monday through Friday. I actually almost went to work for him a couple of years ago but was wanting to stay in the medical sales arena at the time. I have one of my licenses and I am still studying for another one so needless to say, things have been wild in the Pannell family with studying, working full time, and taking care of Bryce man.

Bryce's new milestones:

Bryce now has two teeth on the bottom. It is precious and he hasn't even been all that fussy to speak of. Also, he is sleeping through the night most nights which is very nice for mommy having to get up for work every day. And last but not least, he had his first taste of real food this week. Sweet potatoes is now on the menu and he loves every bite. Can't wait to see what his next favorite food will be. I am keeping my fingers crossed that he loves the green veggies as much as he loves the orange.

Thanks for reading!

Special Gift

So.... I decided to blog about the special gift my cousin Caroline got Bryce on the day of his open heart surgery because he is loving it these days. It is a Ty brand monkey with hearts on his chest. He is oh so soft and he was one of the few stuffed animals that got to be with Bryce during his recovery. Among other special gifts Bryce received during his time at UAB was a gown resembling a lab coat with UAB on it from his Big Momma and Poppa, a onesie with a choo choo train and hearts from Jenny Sain,a stuffed doggy that looks like Minnie (our dachsund) also from the Sains, flowers from Wes and Katie May on Valentines Day, and many many more precious gifts that I can't recall right at the moment. We are so thankful for each and every one of them. The day of Bryce's surgery, I received a Pandora heart charm that all of the girls in my family got for me! I get a Pandora charm for just about every occasion but this one is by far the most special and meaningful one I have received yet. Also, my mom got me a necklace with a heart shaped locket........Other toys he is loving these days besides his monkey are his Baby Einstein Lion that plays music (from Ronald and Debbie Westmoreland) and his glow worm that plays music given to him by Aunt Debbie. I will leave you with a pic of he and monkey swinging:) Thanks for reading. I'll try to put up some pics soon of the other gifts I mention here.

Bryce's Precious Great Grandfather, Daddy Dene

How incredibly thankful we are for the 4 months Bryce had to know his precious great grandfather Daddy Dene (Jon's grandfather). He passed away at ECM Hospital on Monday, June 6. Although they only had a few months to spend together, the time spent was definitely quality time. We will always remember Bryce and Daddy Dene playing on the couch in Mama Nell and Daddy Dene's formal living room, just laughing and smiling at one another. We also will remember that Daddy Dene loved baby feet and made it a point to mention them every time he was with Bryce. He will be sorely missed but we cling to the precious memories that we prayed would be able to take place before Daddy Dene's passing. Although we are bowed down in sorrow that Daddy Dene is gone, we rejoice in Christ for answering our prayers that they would get to meet one another, especially since Bryce was at UAB for almost a full month after being born. We love you Daddy Dene and we miss you!! Here is a picture of Bryce and Daddy Dene playing:)

Welcome Summer!!!

That's right....Welcome Summer! I love it. We have had the best, most relaxing Memorial Day weekend ever. Of course, the best part was getting to spend lots of quality time with our little man. He is now sleeping on his side at night which is something he has just started in the past week. It is too cute. I feed and bathe him and daddy puts him to sleep. He is a pro at getting him to sleep and I actually think Bryce prefers his daddy to put him to bed:) Other cute things Bryce is doing these days is making sounds when he blows bubbles which sounds something like "a-brr"! It is the sweetest thing...and he loves to sit in his Bumbo seat. We have started sitting him at the dinner table with us while we eat and loves it. He is starting to notice the food on our plates more and more. I just tell him that mommy is eating right now, but he can have it later. :) I know some of you will have a duck when I say this but I was eating ice cream last night and I gave him a tiny drop. Ha..he seemed to like it but then again, what baby doesn't like a little sugar. Anyway, today (Bryce's very first memorial day), we put him in his kiddie pool for the first time. I put on his little bathing suit and sun hat and slathered him in sunscreen....then we heading out in our back yard for a little splishing and splashing with Daddy. He loved it. It took him a second to get used to the water but once he did..he seemed to enjoy it. Jon had put some squeaky toys in there as well and he played with them and of course, tried to eat them. After we got done with that, we all took a nap and headed for dinner at Big Momma and Poppa's house! It was a fantastic day. Boo for daddy having to go back to work tomorrow:( Thanks so much for reading...pics to come soon.

By the way, a big thank you to my grandfathers, my dad, and my brother for their service to our country! I love you and I am so proud of all of you!!

Bryce's First Pool

Bryce in his first pool

Enjoying the water

Cookout at Big Momma and Poppa's house

Worn out from his first Memorial Day

First Little Cold

As I mentioned in my last post, Bryce man has his first cold...which seems to be much better tonight..yay! I took him for his 4 month check-up yesterday and he actually had a little fever and an upset stomach while we were there. Go figure, the only upset stomach he has had the whole time so Dr. Crenshaw wanted to do some tests for RSV and rotavirus. Both were negative which was awesome! She said just to watch him and give him tylenol for his fever and this should pass soon. Also, she told me to hold off on the apple juice (and give him Pedialyte instead) that we give him once a day that has his vitamin in it because it may make the upset stomach worse. Let me tell you friends, this baby boy loves his "baby gatorade" as I call it. He sucked down 4 ounces in no time. It sure is hard for a mommy to see her baby sick. It has been equally hard trying to get this little man to sleep. It has taken us about an hour each night to get him settled down because he simply just doesn't feel good and just wants to be held. I am hoping that our efforts not to do that are going to pay off soon. He really hasn't acted like he felt bad besides that but his cough has been pretty nasty at times. Otherwise, we are enjoying kicking off this Memorial Day weekend.

Bryce's stats at 4 months:

Weight: 13 lb. 4 oz.
Height: 24 1/2 inches
Head circumference: 16+ inches
Eats: Breastmilk and has apple juice once a day to take his vitamin with iron

He is growing so fast and is right on track!! Yay! Dr. Crenshaw said his head control and strength are more like a 6 month old! Praise God!! We are so proud of him!


Anyway, our Memorial day weekend has started off great! Jon grilled hot dogs last night and grilled hamburgers tonight. I have had to keep Bryce in but it has been fun getting to spend some quality time with just the 3 of us at home because Jon has had a pretty busy week at work! Earlier this week, Uncle Zack came for a visit. It was nice getting to spend time with him because he works night shift for TVA and sleeps alot during the day. Here is a precious picture from his visit. Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!!