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!