Hi,

I hope everyone is having a great December so far!

I wanted to update this because Andrew is in the hospital. Not for the surgeries he had last week. His eyes look perfect. In fact we came up to Children's last Monday to get his eyes and circumcision checked. Both looked good but I voiced a concern to the Urologist about Andrew's original surgery site  (the one I had when I was pregnant with him). The site looked a little red and Andrew felt warm. So the Doc sent Andrew to get an Ultrasound. We were immediately admitted into the hospital after they saw the results. He has an infection near his spinal cord. They think because the original surgery had to be done in such a hurry there was a pocket left near his spinal cord that unfortunately an infection found its way to. On Tuesday we had an MRI and then Wednesday he had surgery to help ease some of the pressure from the infection. They opened his scar up and are just leaving it open until we have a second surgery in January. Needless to say it looks a little gruesome. They also put a PICC line into his arm so we can do continuous antibiotics. Because his veins were so beat up from the NICU it is really hard for him to hold an IV so the PICC line has been really helpful. To get an IV into him it takes so many sticks and watching him go through that is heart wrenching.

Our sweet boy looking out his hospital window

Still smiling right after surgery

The second surgery in January is 12 hours long. They are going to literally rebuild his scar area,  going from the spine and up to the skin. At the end a plastic surgeon will come in and redo his skin around the scar. My little guy in surgery that long is going to be very scary.

With this being a children's hospital they really try to make Christmas time special. They have carolers in the hall everyday, Santa bringing presents ect...It still just has a depressing vibe though. Nobody wants to be here around the holidays. Andrew has no clue what time of the year it is but I feel for the older kids . Of course after what happened in Connecticut none of this matters. Who cares what time of the year it is when we still get to hug our kids close. It is just such an unfathomable tragedy.

Sorry this isn't very upbeat but I really want this blog to be accurate. I think having a baby like Andrew there are going to be ups and downs. Luckily for us the ups are so incredible it makes it easier to deal with the downs.

Christmas pics we took the Saturday before we were re-admitted into the hospital

Surgery went well!

Hi,

I am so happy to write this on the other side of Andrew's surgery. He had it on Tuesday and everything went really well. His eyes look so much better. We aren't even supposed to see full results for 6 weeks but they look 100% better!  He also got circumcised. They couldn't do it when he was born because of all the problems he was having. Even though both were routine surgeries I was so nervous. However,  he did fantastic. They are supposed to be outpatient procedures but with Andrew's breathing issues in the past we ended up staying the night. He was intibated during the surgeries and put completely under. When he woke back up he was fine but when he would take a nap he was de-sating.  All is good now though and we are home. He is such a little rockstar. He handled everything so well. I know how brave he is but during these medical things I'm reminded.

Aside from the surgery everything else is great. This is my absolute favorite time of the year. I LOVE Christmas! I love the holiday music, the decorations, traditions, family time ect...We go crazy decorating the house and baking. Having a child makes it even more exciting. Andrew is still a little too young to really know what is going on but it is still so much fun. My family starts getting here on December 20th so I'm really looking forward to that. I hope everyone else is having a great December! I will try to update this but I know things are going to be busy over the next couple weeks. I will definitely post Christmas morning pictures. Thank you again for reading this. I got so many sweet emails wishing Andrew luck with his surgery. It means so much that people take time out of their busy day to see what is going on in our lives.

Have a great holiday!

Love,

Kelly

     1st pics with Santa

So close to walking!

 Getting hugs from Dad before surgery

 Smiling like a little champ after surgery

Snuggling with Dad in the hospital 

Hi,

We are back from our trip. It was so much fun! Andrew is still a good flyer. I wasn't sure as he got older if he would get a little antsy on the plane but he did fine. As soon as we sit down he sleeps and then wakes up when we land. We have a trip to Hawaii in May and I'm really hoping he is still a sleeper on the plane. It is an 8 hr plane ride so wish me luck...haha.

California 

It was a little too cold to actually go in the ocean but it was still so nice to eat at restaurants along the beach. There is nothing that compares to the smell of salt water and I automatically feel so relaxed as soon as I feel the ocean breeze.

Everything has been going really well. We have his surgery in December. I'm nervous but happy to get his eyes fixed. He is having his surgery at the Children's Hospital in Denver. It is a top ranked hospital and I feel so blessed we live so close to it. The doctors there are amazing. I will update this as soon as the surgery is done. We also had spina bifida clinic recently and he was a little rock star. They said he looks terrific. Those appointments always make us nervous but we were so happy to hear everything is okay.

 At Spina Bifida Clinic showing the docs how he can walk! 

I hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for this year!

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone is having a good Halloween so far. We realized when you have a baby all the holidays are a lot more exciting. It has been so fun picking out his costume and doing Halloween type things with him. Below are some of our Halloween pictures.

 I will post again mid-November because I am happy to say we are going on our first official family beach vacation next week. Last time Andrew and I just went because my husband had to work (and we were evacuating because of the fires). 

This time we all get to go! I will post pictures when we get back. 

Everything else is going well. Andrew is having surgery in December to fix his eyes. Unfortunately one of the preemie issues is his eye muscles weren't strong enough when he was born and his eyes go inward when he gets tired or he is concentrating. The surgery will hopefully fix this. 

Not excited about another surgery but I know this will really help him.  Fortunately my entire family will be here in December to help out. I am so excited because usually my family comes in different shifts. It is hard for everyone to work out their schedules and they live all over. My poor parents have three daughters in three different timezones, Colorado/California/Hawaii. I'm sure it is hard for them to remember what time of the day to call each of us.  

This time everyone will be here at once which will be really nice. 

I hope everyone has a great Halloween! 

Hi!

I hope everyone is having a good fall so far. I really can't believe how fast time is flying. Next week will be exactly a year since Andrew got out of the NICU. I'm really trying to slow down and appreciate each day. As horrible as the whole NICU thing was it really taught be to be so grateful for everything. Andrew is such a wonderful miracle. Sorry I'm gushing but from where we were last year to now is just incredible. Andrew is flying around the house. He is crawling, standing and going up stairs. Like I said incredible! Okay I'm gushing again but I can't help it! I'm just so proud of him.  Below are some new pictures.

 I will post again around Halloween with pictures of him in his cute costume.

(He looks like he is about to race) 

I love this picture. Whenever Andrew hears the back door open 

he races to the kitchen to wait for his dad to come in. 

He gets so excited and lets out a huge squeal. So adorable! 

Hi, 

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! 

We went to an Oktoberfest in a cute town on top of one of the mountains here. It was more of a kids Oktoberfest though with rides, games and face painting ect.... A little different then the ones Mike and I used to go to haha but we had a blast. I thought summer was beautiful here but fall is just as beautiful. 

                I wanted to post some pics of our day. Andrew looked so adorable in his fall clothes. 

Summer went so quickly!

Hi,

I hope everyone had a great summer. It really flew by! We took advantage of it though. Last year at this time we were in the hospital from early morning until late at night so we barely saw the sun. This summer my husband and I said we were going to be out enjoying it as much as we can. I know Colorado is known for skiing but the summer here is so beautiful! We got to go to Vail a few times which was gorgeous in the summer. We can't wait to see it this winter. Luckily Andrew is a great traveller. He does well on airplanes and the car.

My little guy standing

I tried to post a video on here but it wasn't working. The video was of Andrew crawling! Yup my little guy is all over the house now. The baby the docs told me might be paralyzed. He is so amazing!!! He is pulling himself up to standing too. The physical therapist thinks it is only a matter of weeks before he is walking. I really can't believe it. He really has come so far. One of the other things I was worried about was how affectionate he would be because  he was in the NICU for so long. He was hooked up to all of those wires/machines and he couldn't be held like normal babies. However, I'm so happy to report he is very affectionate. Even when he is playing he will stop, crawl over and give me a hug. At physical therapy we always have to have "hug timeouts". After each exercise he wants to give me a hug. I love it!! I'm treasuring it because I'm sure with little boys it doesn't last all that long.

I hope everyone has a good week!!

Beautiful hiking in Colorado! We really love it here!

Hi, 

I wanted to post some updated pics. We have had such a great summer! It seems like it is flying by way too fast. I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer too! Not much to update just busy with traveling and lots of fun outdoors. 

Fun at the pool! 

                            

Andrew is the best baby to take out to eat. He sits quietly 

and entertains himself. Hopefully it lasts! 

We are getting Andrew baptized in Hawaii. 

He is getting his travel outfits ready! 

Hi!

I really am trying to get better at updating this thing although things in Colorado have been a little crazy. Andrew went on his first vacation to California and we just got back. We were going to go soon but ended up going earlier because of the fires in Colorado Springs. Our house was fine but it started to get really smokey. I was worried about Andrew's lungs so we went to the beach for awhile. He loved it! We had a great time. Unfortunately some of my friends did lose their homes. The fires were insane and it felt like we were living in a horror movie. Just watching the beautiful land and properties burn was very sad. Then this mass shooting that just happened near by reminds you to be so grateful for every day and to hold on tight to your  family and friends.

Andrew has been doing really well. He can sit up, roll and is sooooo close to crawling. He gets up on all fours and bounces back and fourth. He just needs to figure out how to move everything. I'm so proud of my amazing little boy. I thank God everyday for choosing us to be his parents.

Below are some recent pictures.

I hope everyone is doing well! Thank you again for continuing to read about us.

Also I would like to wish a special happy birthday to our Aunt Carol. She has been so supportive and wonderful to us. When we were in Philadelphia last year she stored all of our furniture in her home (and we have a lot of stuff), saving us thousands of dollars in storage fees. She is always so positive and  we are so grateful to have her in our lives. We love you!

Andrew's first dip into the Pacific 

Andrew sitting up playing with his toys 

Tired after a long day

After only 5 swim lessons, floating like a pro 

One of the things we got Andrew for his birthday was swimming lessons. 

Below he is learning with his teacher. She is fantastic with him. He can already float on his back. 

Hello!

It has been ages since I last posted on here. The last time I even logged on was in January. I'm so sorry. I didn't even think anyone read this anymore. In fact I was going to post today and have it be my last post but when I logged on the page that shows my stats it said I had over 700 page views over the last three weeks. I am so humbled and honored that anyone is still interested in what is going on with us. Thank you to whoever is logging in and checking this blog out. Also sorry for being so terrible at keeping it updated. My only excuse is life got in the way. Beautiful happy life! The reason I was logging on today was because yesterday was Andrew's birthday so I thought it would be a good time to update.

Wow I can't believe it has been a year. It has gone by so fast but slow at the same time (if that makes any sense). It feels like yesterday I was in the NICU praying for my little guy to hold on and here we are a year later. I'm happy to say Andrew is doing really well. We still have ups and downs but for the most part up. He has taught my husband and I so much about strength, bravery and being courageous. We had a little scare and he was hospitalized a few months ago. When the doctor told me he had to be admitted back into the NICU I felt like I was going to turn to stone. Go back to the NICU.....no!!! I didn't think I could go through it again. Andrew looked at me like he sensed I was going to fall apart and gave me a big smile even though he was so sick.  At that moment I realized if he was that brave I better get my butt in gear!  Luckily he only ended up back in the hospital for a week and it wasn't anything serious.

I know it is so cliche for parents to say this but he has made us happier than we ever thought possible. To any moms out there reading this that might be just finding out their baby was diagnosed with spina bifida or maybe just had the prenatal surgery, the journey you are about to go on is so worth it! In the end you will have the most beautiful gift God could ever give you. Just hold on through the rough stuff and try to think about the big picture. I wish I would have done that more. Easier said than done!

My little miracle is one! 

Well since people are still checking in on us I will keep this blog going. I will try to get better at posting!

Hi!

Hi!

It has been so long since I updated. I feel terrible. We have been so busy with appointments (pediatrician, spina bifida clinic, physical therapy ect....) still no excuses. Everything here is good. Andrew weighs 14 lbs! He is such a chunky monkey. He is still on the oxygen but only at night. We go back to the spina bifida clinic Feb 7th so I will be able to update more after the appointment. I'm praying his head looks good and no shunt. The physical therapist thinks he is a little behind with his milestones but that is to be expected.

Being a mother is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Even with Andrew's medical problems I wouldn't change a thing. He is the sweetest little guy, always happy and smiling. Here is a recent pic!