HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Here's a preview - more to come!

Cole, Colter & JD - Monkey, Scarecrow & Dinosaur

They were great sports!

ZACHARY

This is Zachary Johnson, who is one of twin sons of a fellow moms of multiples friend of mine. Her boys were born about 6 weeks before my boys in summer of 2006. Sadly, Zachary has been very sick since birth and has struggled for life since he was born. He is now first on the list for a liver/small bowel transplant; they are praying for a donor any day now.

Born two months premature on July 2, 2006 (along with twin brother Aidan), and weighing only 2lbs, 10oz, Zachary was diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). NEC is a very devastating disease which invades parts of the infant's intestines and effectively kills the bowel tissue. Without healthy tissue, food nutrients pass quickly through the intestinal tract. Within his first 5 months of life, tiny Zac underwent 4 surgeries which left his intestines disconnected, but doctors wanted to wait until his intestines starting absorbing nutrients before they would reattach them. Brother Aidan was able to go home after 3 weeks in the NICU, but after several months of false hopes for Zac, Brian and Deanna stopped trying to guess when Zac would be able to go home. Despite his rough beginning, little Zac remained in good spirits, flirting with all of the nurses and providing Mom and Dad with plenty of smiles.

Finally, after 8 months and weighing almost 11 pounds, Zac was able to go home in February of 2007. Armed with various equipment and more medical knowledge than they ever wanted, Brian and Deanna were finally able to have the whole family under one roof. And on a few rare but wonderful occasions, they could look at both boys sleeping in the nursery at the same time.
Unfortunately, since Zac’s intestines were not able to absorb food, he was on continuous IV fluids. Even though these fluids are life saving, they can also damage the liver if used over a long period of time. For a while, Zac’s liver made improvements. Doctors even thought he would not need a liver or small bowel transplant, and Brian and Deanna spent months hoping they would schedule the surgery to reconnect his intestines.

But Zac has given his parents a roller coaster ride from the beginning, and he wasn’t about to stop now. For many months, his health went up and down as he continued to fight off infections, and he had to go back to the hospital twice for short stays. He was finally able to undergo the reconnection surgery shortly after his first birthday in July of 2007. This amazingly strong and resilient boy has had six surgeries since birth and he has bounced back against all odds. Zac went home after 3 weeks.

On Wednesday, August 15th, Zac gave his family their biggest scare yet. Brian and Deanna raced Zac to the hospital as he was going into shock from liver failure. At that point, it was determined for certain that Zac needed a transplant, and as soon as he was stable enough for transport, he was flown to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where his health continues to bounce up and down. Currently Zachary is in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) awaiting a double organ transplant (liver and small bowel). The good news is that he is at the top of the list and will be first in line when a suitable match is found. The bad news is that there is a reason that he is at the top of the list for he is very sick. Unable to even hold Zac, Brian and Deanna take turns sitting by his side every day, waiting for the opportunity to give him a second chance at life.

Our MOMs club is taking an active part in fundraising for Zachary's family. Although they have insurance, the out of pocket costs associated with being away from home to be with Zachary are much more than we can imagine (food, lodging, gas etc.). In Severna Park, MD, volunteers have begun a fund-raising campaign for Zac. These funds will be used for medical, living and travel expenses not covered by insurance. The organization COTA (Childrens Organ Transplant Association) is backing the fundraising efforts - the local volunteers are simply collecting donations and helping however we can.

I have some bracelets for sale for $2, and some magnetic car ribbons (like the ones for soldiers) for $4 each. If you are interested in purchasing one, please let me know. It's a great cause and one that hits really close to home. There will be a local bake sale coming up in Severna Park as well - if you are interested in baking something to donate or attending to buy some yummy baked goods for the holidays, I will be happy to forward you the details.

I cannot imagine all that Zachary and his family are going through. This vigil has been going on for well over a year - Zac still has a long way to go but with lots of prayers, hopefully he'll get that donor soon and be on the road to recovery!

To my fellow cat lovers...

Since I always get such a great response to my "cat" posts, here's one that is worth repeating. Anyone that has a "bad" cat like me, can relate...

Big cousins

Cole loves books - and what is better than being read to by your biggest cousin?

14 Months!

Today the boys turned 14 months old. I always wondered before I had kids why people measured babies age by months...I now know. You don't want to give any months away - I savor every month that goes by!




Anyway, it was a banner day today for us - Cole pulled up on his own, over and over again. He's finally got it mastered! I'm so proud of him - he's going to be chasing JD in no time.

Here are some fun pictures from today. It finally feels like fall!











Our first fall morning walk...brrrrr




































Playing in the leaves...

Working Together...

Here are a few clips from this morning where the boys were having fun together. JD is pushing Cole on his car - and I think Cole is complaining that he's not pushing fast enough? The lighting is terrible but you can get the idea. This is one of their new favorite past times...

More weekend photos...

The only disadvantage to having the GIRLS babysit the boys (their father is going to die when he sees these)...not sure that "dress up" was on the boys agenda but they didn't have much of a choice did they?

Flirting already with Savannah - they will be fighting over her someday....

One more cute one of the kids...

Fun Weekend!

We had a fun weekend - lots of activities and we're pooped. Chuck and I celebrated our 12th Anniversary yesterday - I can't believe it's been 12 years! We took the kids downtown for a quick breakfast and then headed home for our community Bull Roast. The two of us will go out and celebrate one night this week instead. It's amazing how time flies, isn't it?

The boys and I were down in Leesburg, VA this weekend visiting some friends. A few of my beloved college girl friends flew in from Alabama and Hermosa Beach, CA (L.A.), and one drove up from Rehoboth Beach, DE - all with their kids and we all had a mini reunion - it was a blast. My boys absolutely loved being doted on by the big kids and Mommy even got a few hours to kick back, have a few beers and catch up with the girls. The boys got dressed up like girls, carried around a lot and giggled their way through the day. It was lots of fun.

In selecting a few photos to show, check out this one of Cole - why is it that boys always find every orifice in their body and stick their fingers in? Not a flattering photo but it made me laugh.

And here are the adorable girls that cared for the boys ALL day - Lexi and Madeline...they called them "their babies". THANKS GIRLS!

And here's the whole gang (including Tucker, the dog):

And we had a fun wagon ride yesterday with big cousin Emily too -

More pictures to come!

Some updates....

Well, I have held off on updating on the boys in the last few days because I have been trying so hard to get a good video clip of JD's latest trick - he's almost walking! He's walking behind a stool, pushing it across the floor; I just can't seem to catch it on tape. Every time I start the tape rolling, he sits down. But, I can't hold off any longer...

Here's the latest:
JD is still laughing at almost everything - and smiling all of the time. He loves milk and drinking from a straw. He's cruising around on everything and walking several steps in a row while holding on to things. He also goes up the stairs in no time flat and comes back down pretty well backwards. The cats are his #1 priority most of the time and they get him into a good game of chase around the house. He will follow them anywhere, including under a bed, where he usually gets himself stuck. He has 4 teeth which makes for a very cute toothy smile!

Cole is moving around much better these days but it's still a crab crawl. He loves to pull to stand and hates being on his back. That used to be his favorite but now he loves to be upright. One of his favorite things is a ball - he loves to juggle it with his feet. He's such a thinker and checks everything out before he makes a move. When he wants something, he gets it. He's got two bottom teeth and the top two are on their way in. His smile still melts my heart - I can't get enough of it. Cole is not close to walking yet but we're mastering his core body movements which will help him get there. We still have physical therapy weekly and every week he seems to get stronger and stronger. His fine motor skills are excellent and he's very picky with which bites of his food he's going to take.

The two of them love to chatter with each other, especially in their high chairs. They crack up together which is so awesome to watch. Usually Cole is laughing at JD - a foreshadowing of things to come. I think JD is going to be the house clown...

Their favorite foods are fruit, waffles, grilled cheese, mac & cheese and pasta. We're not much on red sauce though - we're going to have to fix that so that they get used to Gramma's yummy spaghetti & meatballs! We're working on sharing but it seems that whatever one has, the other wants. Even if there are two, they always want the same one. And even if they are playing side by side, they will trade toys back and forth, thinking that the one that the other has is better. For the most part, they get along very nicely - and sharing is getting better. Most of the time, they give up their toys without much of a fight (unless it's Cole with his toothbrush).

Both boys love their Daddy so much - they light up when he comes home or enters the room. It's so awesome to see! Both boys have good word recognition now - they know words like light, duck, milk, doggie - although they can't say them, they seem to understand more than we think. They are saying a few sounds and chattering lots. We still have them in separate rooms to sleep - with all of the random noises they make during the night, we all get a much better nights sleep if they are in separate rooms, especially during nap time.

They are both looking more like toddlers now - they've lost that baby look. It's killing me how fast they are growing up...like all other Mom's, I wish I could bottle it up and make it last. Although I love to see them blossom into amazing little people, I'll miss the days of snuggling with them. I still get some good hugs - and every little while they both will come back to me while playing for a squeeze; but those days are almost gone I think. Once they are fully mobile, there will be much more interesting things to explore than Mommy. For now, I'll enjoy being a human jungle gym while it lasts - and I'll enjoy every last second of it!

A Day to Remember

Today is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

To all of you out there who have babies in heaven, do something special today for that little soul who was taken from you too soon. Through the years, I have known far too many people who have met the unfortunate fate of losing a pregnancy or infant. Whatever your circumstance was surrounding the loss, in the end, it's all the same. The pain is unbearable at times but seems to get a bit easier with time. I'm thinking of all of you today. Although their lives were short, each of them is worth celebrating.

To my lost babies: Not a day goes by that I don't think of you. Someday we will meet again but until then, please continue to be present in spirit so I know you are ok. My heart always holds a place for each of you; I love you.