First Boat Ride

This [ast Saturday, the Brinkley crew stayed with the Massey's in Vero. We enjoyed an amazing day on their boat. Thank you guys so much for taking us out! It was Chase's first boat ride and he absolutely loved it. He especially liked the shrimp bucket. He kept trying to reach in and pull out the shrimp. At one point, he got so excited and his paci fell out of his mouth and into the bucket. fortunately, we grabbed it before he could put it back into his mouth. The kids played hard all day and finally crashed mid afternoon. Check out Marley and Chase taking their afternoon nap on the boat.

Cooper plays so well with Chase and Marley. It is so cute watching them all interact! In the morning, Chase crawled into Marley's baby stroller and Cooper pushed Chase all over the house. Marley was trying to get Chase to kiss her baby. It is just too darn cute!!!!

The following day, Chase and I drove to Boca to visit my family. We had a blast hanging out with Liam at a little kids waterpark. Mimi even got her hair wet! Chase loves playing with the dogs and they really miss him when he is gone!

Digi Scrapping!

I know it is summer and I am just getting around to doing my Christmas pics. It is hard with a toddler running around. I am trying to learn how to do this digi scrapping, but there is a huge learning curve. This was made with a template from atomic cupcake.

Monkey Joe's!

Over the weekend, the Brinkley family joined the McLaughlin's and Ragan's at Monkey Joes. Monkey Joe's is a huge warehouse full of Bounce Houses (Moon Walk) and

blow up slides, etc. It was packed since it was the weekend and quite overwhelming. He had a great time playing with Chase on all the fun slides. It was so funny watching him try to walk in the Bounce House.

I love the picture above of Chase getting ready to go down the slide. This is totally his "very excited" face. Now, doesn't that make you smile!

We made it 2 hours at that place. By the time we left, Dawson and I were sweating bullets. It was so nice to visit with Nicki, Skip, Aidan and Izzy. Thanks for stopping by on your way to Sarasota!

The Beach!!!

Last Friday, Chase and I joined some friends at Cocoa Beach. There were 7 adults and 15 kids...I know, crazy! It completely wore Chase and me out!

I brought a toddler raft for Chase to ride the waves. He absolutely loved it! He had no fear of the water and really enjoyed playing at the shoreline. His swimmy diaper started getting really heavy (from all the sand and water) and it would make him off balance. I wish you could have seen him stumbling all over the place.

Next time, Daddy will need to join us. Hopefully, we will be able to make it over to the beach for his birthday.

This is a cute clip from Chase's bath last night. He was a root a toot tooting! make sure you let it buffer before watching it.

Here is a cute picture of Chase's new haircut. We cut off a little more this time and he looks like a little man (sniff sniff). He also has a bit of a wave to his hair now that it is shorter on top. So cute!!!

Last week, Dawson and I celebrated for 6 days in Cabarete, Dominican Republic. We were celebrating our anniversary (late) and his BIG PROMOTION to Finance Director. Finally, he is reaping the rewards for all his hard work. We found out the day before we left for vacation! What a way to go!

The Dominican Republic is beautiful, but a very poor third world country. Where we stayed it is known as the "kite surfing capital of the world". They were actually having a kite surfing championship the week after we left (right on the beach of our resort)! We didn't see the signs for free lessons until it was too late (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). Besides, there were about 50 kite surfer and 50 windsurfers out there at any given time. I was nervous that I would get caught up in someone elses line. I have tried windsurfing once and it was so hard.

We went on an amazing waterfall tour. We were told that we had to walk through the water to get to the waterfalls. Therefore, we had to wear a lifevest, swim shoes, and a helmet. We both thought that we would be able to wade in the water and see the waterfalls. Nooooo...we actually climbed up all seven waterfalls. At times, I did not know how we would be able to do it. It just seemed impossible, but our tourguides made it all possible. Seriously, we climbed on top of our guides ande they also pulled us up to the next level. It was exhillerating looking up at the beautiful rock formations and water rushing down. Once we finally reached the top, we slid down 5 of the falls and then got to jump down the last two. It definately got our hearts pumping! I wish we had pictures to show you. It was an amazing an amazing experience that I would do again and again!!!

Chase stayed with his Nanna and Mammaw. It was very hard being away from him for so long, but definately a much needed vacation. He loves being over there and kept them busy.

My mom still has the pins in her arms, but is able to do so much more now. She will have surgery to remove the pins in 2 weeks. Then rehab.

Happy Father's Day!

We had a wonderful day celebrating the men in our life. Sheryl had the family over for a wonderful lasagna dinner. Chase had a great time running all over Sheryls house and sharing his toys with Max (the dog). Chase also got to experience stairs for the first time. He was so proud of himself when he reached the top. I am glad we don't have stairs at our house. It sure would be exhausting following him up and down the stairs all day.

Dawson and I are going on a much needed vacation for a week. Nanna, Mammaw and Sheryl will be watching Chase for us. I am feeling a bit sad about leaving him for that long, but we really need the time away.

It has been 2 weeks since my mom's surgery. She is doing a lot better than she was the first week after the surgery. She can now do more things with her hands and has gotten out of the house quite a bit. She will have the pins in for another month and then rehab.

Chase (14 months) and Liam (15 months)

Things are better at the Brinkley household. I am so glad May is over! The swelling in my hand has gone down and hopefully soon will have my normal full range of motion back.

My mom ended up needing surgery on both wrists and this was done last Monday. She has pins in both arms and has been in excruciating pain. She needs help doing everything. Chase and I went down to Boca on Sunday for a few days to help out my parents. It lifted my moms spirits seeing Chase and Liam together. The boys are walking/running all over the place.

Everyday, my mom's pain seems to improve. She will have the pins in for 6 weeks and then will need to have therapy. Amanda has been a huge help by going over there everyday to help my mom do the most basic things. Please pray for her pain to subside and a speedy recovery.

What a great day this was. It was last weekend while my parents were here. We went to City Walk and ate at Margaritaville. Chase and my father loved all the great Buffet decorations all over the restaurant. I was starting to feel better and was so happy to get out of the house.

Now for the unfortunate news...
I'm still on antibiotics for the hand since the pharmacy wrote the wrong dose on the bottle. Fortunately, I reacted to the half prescribed dose or I would have needed hand surgery! GRRR. Another reason why I love electronic medical record!

Chase started throwing up on Friday and I thought it could have been bad milk or something. He was acting fine otherwise, but did throw up 4 times that day. I knew that something had been going around his daycare,b ut he was not there for 3 weeks while I was recooperating. Denial is a great thing. Unfortunately Sunday morning at 3:30 am I woke to Dawson vomiting and that continued for hours. He didn't get out of bed until 4:30 pm when I started barfing and he needed to take care of baby Chase. We are better today then yesterday, but still not totally normal.

WORST OF ALL...
I got a frantic call from my sister today that my mom broke both her wrists. I am not clear if it is wrists or lower arms, but definately both of them. The ortho doc didn't come into the hospital to see her (not life threatening and it is Memorial Day - GRRRR). He wanted them to splint her up and make an appt for tomorrow. Very frustrating. Chase and I will be heading down to Boca this Friday-Tuesday so my sister and I can tak team and help her.

That is it. This our three bad things...no more!!! JUNE HAS TO GET BETTER.

Pray for my mom!

Ali

Flesh Eating Bacteria!
Yep, that is what the doctors told me yesterday. Very scary. They also said that I am so lucky that I went to the hospital when I did because it could have been so much worse. Just imagine those gory pictures on the internet you find when you google it. Too disgusting. I am so thankful that I went to work that morning and showed it to the nurse and physician I work with. They told me that I needed to go to my doctor an get antibiotics. Boy were they right!!!

The great news is that the ID doc will discontinue my oral and IV antibiotics THIS MONDAY! That means this PICC line can finally come out! I will be free! My hand is still a little sore and stiff. My arm is peeling from the infection. The swelling has gone down, but I probably won't e back to my new normal for a couple weeks. The redness is gone and I have not taken any pain meds since Monday! Praise the Lord!

I plan to return to work on Wednesday and I am looking forward to normalcy. My parents leave Sunday and have been a tremendous help. Chase is just as cute as can be. He is having a wonderful time playing ball with Brewster, my parents border collie.

Thanks again for all your prayers and well wishes.

Yesterday, we had a bit of a scare. My hand started to swell and become sore over the weekend. I even had to start taking the Percocet again starting on Sunday. I made an appt to see the ortho hand doc to check out my hand and check to see if an abcess was forming. He didn't think there was an abcess and picked off my scab (ewwww). He suggested that I see the ID guy since I may need a different antibiotic. The ID doc saw me right away and he freaked me out. He was very concerned that I was developing compartment syndrome. This would mean hospitalization and hand surgery. He started me on Clinda (oral) three times daily for 7 days and extended my IV Rocephin for another 7 days. he said he was puzzled as to why this was happening. I did have a rash all over my trunk over the weekend (now gone). He was not sure what that was all about either.

I was concerned because Chase started getting what looked like zits on his face, ear and hand. I showed the ID guy and he of course told me to show my pediatrician. Most adult guys won't touch kids. He said he takes pustules very seriously in children and Chase needed to be seen right away! So I made an appt with Dawn Andrew, his pediatrician. Before I had Chase, I worked with her at the hospital. She was a hospitalist at APH. Well, Dr. Andrew made me feel so much better about my condition. She knew more than the ID guy!!! She told me the rash was from the strep and that my new antibiotic regimen should do the trick. She also told me that Chase did not have pustules and that it was likely bug bites! Phew!!!

I got my dressing on my PICC line changed today. They do it once per week. For all you non medical people out there, a PICC line is an IV access that is permanently on my arm until I am finished with IV antibiotics. It goes in my arm directly to my superior vena cava (heart). Scary. You have to be very careful and clean when dealing with the line. I am looking forward to getting this line OUT!!!

3 doctors appts in one day is more than I ever want to do again. I now have a deeper understanding of what my patients go through. It sucks!!!

Thanks for all your prayers, phonecalls, flowers, gifts and well wishes. Keep praying. I am feeling better today than yesterday. It doesn't feel like I have acid on my hand anymore and I have not taken Percocet yet today. I think this Clinda has really turned things around. Praise God! I will keep you updated. I go to ortho and ID docs again on Thursday.

First Haircut!

Yesterday, Mimi and I took Chase to get his first haircut! His hair was getting long and he was starting to sport a mullet so we had to get that taken care of right away. Chase was so good and did not cry at all. He actually liked having his hair combed.

Don't mind the shiner and bum lip. He has started walking and had some spills. He's tough, he's a boy!

I still have IV antibiotics for another 5 days. I can't wait to put this all behind me. I visited with the Infectious Disease Doctor yesterday and he made it very clear how sick I truly was. I was very close to having my arm sliced open in several places to drain". I am feeling better every day. Dawson and I are going to go on a date this Saturday for a late anniversary celebration. I am looking forward to that.

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and well wishes.

Correction: It was group A step. Dawson told me that they cultured my nose and yes that is what is was. I was really out of it in the hospital and somethings were not clear to me until talking about it later.

I AM FINALLY HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL!!! This was definitely that worst week of my life. It started last Tuesday when I noticed a very small blister on the top of my hand. I scratched it and clear fluid came out of the blister. It did not hurt at that time so I didn’t pay much attention to it.

When I woke up the next morning, half of my hand was swollen and it hurt. I joked with Dawson that I must have gotten a spider bite and I was going to die!!!! I went on to work that day and showed my hand and to the physician and nurse to get their opinion. By then, it was even worse than it was when I woke up. Dr. Weatherly told me that I should make an appt with my primary care physician because it looked like I needed antibiotics. I made the appointment for later that day. I was just concerned that I was not going to be able to go on the two trips I had planned over the next two weeks.

The pain started getting worse and worse. It was now moving up to my elbow. I couldn’t stand it anymore so I went home to wait for my appt. I cried the whole way home. By the time I reached my primary care physician’s office, my fever was 103.6. I was in so much pain. I couldn’t even rip the toilet paper off the roll with my bad hand! My primary care looked at the infected arm and thought I really needed to go to the emergency room to get IV antibiotics. Woah Nelly…this meant it was really something serious.

I drove myself to the ER and asked Dawson to get Chase and have his mom watch him that night. It all went down hill from there. The pain was becoming unbearable. I was begging for pain medication because the pain was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It was all happening so fast. I was getting really scared that I was going to lose my arm or something worse.

I think I was finally getting my IV pain killers when Dawson got to the ER. I know I really scared him because I couldn’t control my shaking and I was moaning from the pain. I had to be admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics and to determine the source of the infection.

I had so many things done to me (MRI, chest Xrays, PICC line placement for long term IV antibiotics). We don’t really know what happened. I could have been bitten by a spider or just got some sort of infection. I was convinced it was a spider bite from our weekend stay at Ft. Wilderness. They cultured the surface of the site and it came back positive with Group A Step. I mention that the SURFACE showed that because they could not get anything out of the wound. We all have Staph and Strep on our skin at any given time, but don’t necessarily react to it. So who knows if it is really Group A Strep or a spider bite. Honestly, I don’t even care anymore, I just want to get better.

Dawson was such a source of strength for me. He really took wonderful care of me. He really meant what he said on our wedding day when he would “take me in sickness and in health”. The poor guy had to guide me to the bathroom so many times, got vomited on, and was there for ANYTHING I needed him to do for me. I was so loopy from the pain and the drugs that I was hallucinating, falling asleep while drinking water, or falling asleep on the toilet. Through it all, he was right there with me. I am so thankful to have him as a husband. It’s kinda ironic that we spent our 6th wedding anniversary in the hospital and he even made that special for me.

It has been so difficult being away from Chase this whole time. I know that he was in good hands at his Nanna and Mammaw’s house, but I wanted to see him, smell him and hold him. I woke up Sunday crying because I missed him so much. The nurses said it would be ok for me to visit with him downstairs. He was too young to be exposed to the germs upstairs in the hospital. We had WONDERFUL brief visit, but enough to lift my spirits.

My mom comes today to take care of Chase and me for the next 2 weeks. Chase will finally come home today. I hear he is more of a walker than a crawler. It will be one great “mother and child reunion”. I have 9 more days of home IV antibiotics and many follow-up doctors appts. I was supposed to be leaving for CABO tomorrow! It is so great to be out of the hospital, but I am not out of the woods yet…

Thank you to all that has helped me, called me and prayed for me.

I can't believe it has been a year since Chase was born. It has been such a wonderful year for the Brinkley family. I can't imagine my life any different! I truly love waking up each morning seeing his smiling face. It is so wonderful seeing Dawson's face light up every time he sees his little boy.

We had a birthday party on Saturday for the little man. Chase had a great time playing with his cake. He also went swimming in our pool. Poor little guy had blue lips before it was all said and done. At the end of the night Mimi and Gramps (my parents) watched him and Liam (Amanda's son) so the parents could go out.

Chase is growing up so fast. I feel so blessed that I can be home with him 5 days a week to watch him and play with him.

Love ali

So many new things happened over the last few weeks...

Chase has gone to the newly remodeled Lake Eola park and really LOVES the swing! He has an instant smile when you put him in it. He even cried when we took him out. While we were at the park, we fed the duckies and the swans. Chase just looked stunned at all the birds as they flew over our heads. It must ave been a little freaky to him.

Last week, when I picked up Chase at the YMCA daycare, I was told that he broke out of the infant area. He seemed to really enjoy hanging with the big kids. They suggested that he wear shoes just in case some of the other kids stepped on his little toes. It was time to get Chase some shoes. We brought him to the mall to get his first pair of Stride Rite shoes! He is getting to be a big boy. Afterward, we took him on the carosel in the mall. As you can see, he just loved it. It is so cool to watch his amazement with each new thing he does.

Last weekend, Chase and I had the opportunity to visit with one of my best friends, Kelly "Stout" Hutcheson and her sister Jen. It has been several years since we have gotten together. When we got together with Kelly and Jen, it was if we were back in high school. We had so much to talk about and enjoyed the afternoon laughing and catching up on our lives.

As you can see, Chase loves to brush his teeth. He was so interested in our Crest Spin Brush. We decided to get his very own Spidey spin Brush. He cries when we take it away...and that is after 10 minutes!!!

Happy 92nd Birthday to Mammaw!

Last weekend we were able to get together with family to celebrate Mammaw's special day. Dino and Taylor's birthdays were celebrated too.

Check out Chase sharing and playing with his cousin Bella. It was adorable watching them interact. Pretty soon they will be running all over the place with the older kids (Anthony, Michael, and Samantha).

Just wanted to make a quick post for you all to see the latest family gathering. Please keep Norman in your prayers as he continues his battle with cancer. It was so wonderful visiting with him. You should see how much Bella loves her grand daddy. She just sits so peacefully in his lap and snuggles him. So cute!!!

I recently saw a T-shirt that said "Pumping, it's hard work, but my baby is worth it!" Boy, do I wish I would have seen that months ago! I wouldn't wear it to the grocery store or gym, but would proudly wear it around the house. Maybe at a BBQ for laughs.

Well, it is with mixed emotions that I tell you all the I am HUTH (Hanging up the Horns). For all you non-pumpers out there, that means that I have retired my breastfeeding pump and have weaned myself. Chase will still be getting my milk til he is at least a year....Check out my freezer stash. We bought a deep freeze several months ago when my milk took over both our freezers. I just tapped into the deep freeze this week and I know it will last for months.

Saturday was the last time I pumped and I did not realize (at the time) that it would be my last. I feel like there should have been some sort of ceremony or something. I hear that your hormones go kinda out of wack when you wean so I hope Dawson doesn't find me too crazy over the next few weeks. It is great having all this extra time on my hands.

Chase is changing every day and his little personality is really shining through. He loves to walk around in his walker on the pool deck. The boy loves to be outside and have the wind go through his wispy hair. He has 6 teeth now. 4 on top and 2 on the bottom. His grinny smile is a sight to be seen! He is very active and crawling everywhere. He pulls up on furniture and I really think he will be taking a few steps soon.

Sorry for not updating this more often, but it it is hard to know where all my time goes....Oh yeah, it goes to Chase!

9 months old already!
It is hard to believe that Chase has been OUT of my body as long as he was IN my body! It seems like so long ago that I was pregnant, but time is also going by so fast. It is incredible how much a baby changes and learns in the first year! I was editing home videos from when Chase was first born and it is so crazy to see him so little and unable to even hold his head up! Now, he is all over the place and his personality has really started to come through!

Chase started crawling about a month ago and is now pulling himself up to a standing position. It won't be long before he is walking. We are getting a baby gate put around the pool on Monday! People were so right when they told me that your life really changes when they start moving around. You really have to watch their every move. It is very hard to get anything done when he is awake. Right now I am watching him play with the window blinds. He is getting so excited moving them back and forth.

Chase has 2 bottom teeth and will have some top teeth any day now. They are barely poking through. He has been drooling and crying more as these little teeth must be really aggravating him. He still is a picky eater, but I keep trying to feed him a variety of foods. I am also trying to get him to use a sippy cup (or even hold his own bottle), but he would rather drink what I am drinking from my cup! He still is getting all breastmilk and I am down to pumping just once per day! I am so happy to have back all that time!

Well... the little one is calling my name (yes he calls out mama mama) and I guess he is hungry for some bananas or applesauce!

GO GATORS!!!!

Merry Christmas!

We are so excited for Chase's first Christmas! A few weeks ago we went to see Santa Claus. Chase was so excited to see him and was not scared at all. Santa even said that he could stay there with him all day because he was the "best baby" he has ever seen. The pictures turned out adorable and of course this first time momma had to buy the whole CD with all the pictures. Chase attended his first Christmas show at church. He was such a well behaved boy. We only had to walk out of the church a few times when Chase decided to sing very loudly along with the choir!

So much has happened since my last post. Chase is now crawling all over the place and really trying to stand up now. Our lives have completely changed now that he is crawling. You really have to watch him. He is eating a vriety of baby food. Sometimes he loves it and sometimes he hates it. My parents say that he acts like I did at mealtimes. We spend a lot of time doing the "choo - choo" and playing airplane. He still is getting breastmilk and I am down to pumping only twice daily. I am going to cut back to just once in the morning now. I have so much fozen that it will definately last him another 5-6 months.

I hope you enjoyed our Christmas card this year. I really enjoyed creating it. That was my first attempt at digital scrapbooking and I am addicted. I will post some more of my creations as I complete them.

Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

Well...I finally got to try skiing! Stephanie and I drove up to Loveland, CO to ski for the day while I was in Colorado for work trip. I was excited but also terrified. There were no bunny slopes open and no ski lessons available. I was also shocked to see that there were no safety bars on the ski lift. I was so nervous and managed to come back in one piece. I will be able to go on a ski trip in the future. It was absolutely beautiful watching it snow. Keep in mind that this was only the second time I have ever seen snow in my life. Steph took the pictures on her camera. I was too nervous to deal with the camera. She has some good ones of my awkward positions. I will post them when I get them.

BTW...my breastmilk made it back safely and still cold. I had to pack it in a cooler with ice and check it in my luggage.

Check out this adorable picture of Chase. He has two bottom teeth now. He still doesn't like eating from a spoon too much, but we are working on it. He is rolling all over the place and almost crawling. We need to get that baby gate installed soon.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. We will be traveling to Boca. It will great to see Chase and Liam playing together.

Almost 7 months!





















Alot has happened over the last month. Chase started sitting up on his own. He is eating more baby food (although he isn't that interested in it). He had his first real illness (103 degree fever which was heartbreaking for mom and dad). Finally, he got to dress up for his first Halloween and go trick or treating at dad's office and around our neighborhood!

Chase dressed up as a little lobster and we were chefs from Hell's Kitchen. He was such a trooper. He would just stare at everyone in their costumes. He looked as though he was really deep in thought at what the heck was going on! As you can see he couldn't keep his eyes off mom and dad while we were holding him.

Today, I leave for a business trip to Denver. I will be gone for 5 days and dad will be responsible for Chase. I am going to miss both of them terribly! I have left plenty of breastmilk for Chase and will have to check the milk I pump with the airline while I am gone (darn terrorists!). It will be very strange to be away from both my men for so long. Chase changes so much everyday and it will be neat to see the new things he can do once I get back. I know he will have a tooth by the time I return since it is starting to pop out now. Poor Dawson....I am leaving him with a teething baby. He will do a great job though.

Well sorry for the short and rushed update, but I gotta pack. This Florida girl is gonna FREEZE! It will only be my second time seeing snow. My girlfriend Stephanie will be staying with me and we hope to hit a bunny slope or two.

6 Months already!

I can't believe how fast time flies when you have a little one in the house. Last month, we went to Sanibel Island with my parents and sister's family. Sanibel is a cherished place where the Zimmer family spent many vacations growing up. It was so nice to be back. Liam and Chase had a great time in the pool splashing around and check out how Liam is alittle acrobat. He really impressed everyone how he can stand up on his father's hands in the air for such a long time. It was a wonderful, yet short vacation. Check out how proud my parent's look with their grandchildren. We are so blessed.

I started working at Nemours 2 days per week and could not be happier. It is so nice to be able to spend so much time playing with Chase and watching him develop and discover new things every day. It's also a nice break to have adult time and reconnect with my coworkers and patient's each week. God has blessed me with the perfect work-life balance.

Chase is such a happy baby. This is such a great age. Every time you look at him he make a huge toothless grin and makes your heart melt. What an amazing experience this has been for Dawson and me. It makes my heart skip a beat when I see Dawson and Chase interact. For instance, I was pumping this morning (yep still exclusively pumping and no formula) before work and Dawson was responsible for Chase when he woke. It was 6:50 am when I was finished and I heard a conversation in the house, but thad no idea where it was coming from. Chase and Dawson were not ususally up at this time. I was suprised to find Dawson in bed snuggling with our little man talking about what was going to happen that day. It was so sweet. Chase is the sweetest when he first wakes up. As painful as it is to wake up that early, those feelings quickly subside when you see his excitement to see YOU. It just makes your whole day!