2 years hearing

Two years ago today, Kristen was activated with her Cochlear Implant. She heard me say her name again for the first time. Kristen lost her hearing at about 6 mths old. It was confirmed at a sedated ABR when she was 7.5 mths old. It was routine scanning due to ECMO and high frequency ventilation. It also could have been all of the different life saving med's that she needed as well. Without this life saving measures she wouldn't be here with us today. She may be deaf, but she's alive. And as I meet, read about, and hear about these CDH babies that don't make it, trust me, I don't take for granted that my baby is here. She's almost 4 years old now, and I'm so lucky to have her. We may have challenges all related back to her rough start at life, but we survive and we make it.

Kristen has just begun to have expressive language as well. We have worked for sooooo long on signing! I mean really! Since we got diagnosis! So now going into three years! And she now has about 10 signs. YAY!! And she's also begun to have spoken words too! 10-20!! I know it's not as quick as a typical CI canidate, but I take what I can get, and celebrate the small steps each day. It's almost like because she has to work so much harder to get the small milestones that a 'normal' kid does, that it seems that much more exciting because she has truely worked hard for it!

Well Kristen, my baby girl! Here's to a happy two years of happy listening!

Roll over Roll over so they all rolled over....

Kenny rolled over today! And he wasn't even mad when he did it! He did it with such intent and so slowly and precisely. I was worried about the direction that he went, so I put him back on his stomach to see if he would go the same way again...nope he went the other way! I was so impressed with him! It's earlier than any of the other three kids, and he was the earliest! And considering he's such a grumpy child, I thought that he would just sit there screaming...but nope! I can't wait to see what he can do next!

2:30AM!!

It is now just 2:30am. And I am up from feeding Kenny at 1AM. It's not that he's screeming...or playing...he's actually just looking around. That's not the issue. The issue is that I came back to bed, and went to put a bill with the computer. (The computer is next to the dryer in the laundry room. It's the only quiet spot in the house...lol) Anyways, my food slips out from under me! Oh dear! I turn on the light....and a blue sea of fluid. The Tide Ultra has fallen off of the washing machine. The full Costco size Tide Ultra has fallen off of the washing machine! Oi!!! So here I sit after an hour of using the steam cleaner to suck up the liquid detergent, using a towel to get the residue, and then pouring straight water on the floor and again sucking up with the steam cleaner, and then another towel to dry! I hope I got it all!! Now how do I go back to sleep??!!! LOL

I must add that after all of this at 3AM I woke Kenny up to top him up so he wouldn't wake up in two hours to feed again, and yep....he power puked all over the floor! I can't win...lmao!

I can't believe that no one was screaming!!

We got our Christmas pic with Santa done today! And no one was screaming in it! I'm so pleased!

3 mths old

Kenny turns three months old this week! I can't believe how quickly they grow up. He got weighed at the dr's office yesterday and is a whoping 10lbs 10oz!!! Big boy. He's already uncorrected on a regular growth chart at the 5th percentile for weight! He's doing some good things too. like good head control. smiling a bit. he even let out a giggle the other day!

IDP and assessments!

Our Infant Development Consultant was here today! And Kristen is at the level of a three year old! This is great as when she was assessed at the end of June for the Autism spectrum, they placed her at 24 mths! So in the matter of six months she has jumped 12 months!! Yay Kristen. Well the assessment also shows delay in speech etc. But that's expected as she's only been hearing two years next month!

6 years ago today

Six years ago today, we said I do.
Six years ago today, we had no idea where we'd be.
Six years ago today, we began a journey that most will not even begin to imagine their lives would go.

Six years ago today, we began to plan our family.

We succeeded on the first try. Joe joined us August 9th, 2004. 7 weeks early. He was so small and perfect in our arms. We took him home on his 19th day. We watched him grow, and smile, and walk, and giggle.

We needed to expand on our family.

Again we succeeded on the first try. Kristen was diagnosed at 20 weeks gestation with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. There was a hole in her diaphram on her right side allowing her liver, and small and large bowel up into her chest cavity. We were given a 50/50 chance of survival. She joined us on Feb 12, 2006. 3 weeks early. We could not hold her. We did not even hear her cry. She fought hard, and succeeded. I took her home after 3 months in hospital, on my birthday! May 9, 2006.

After all of the therapy, feeding issues, hearing loss, constant worry...we decided that our family still wasn't quite complete.

Again, with not much time we succeeded after 2 months.

Courtney joined us 5 weeks early, on Feb 13, 2008. She too was so small and so perfect. This time we got to hold her right away. Gary got to cut the cord that provided her life inside of me. She stayed in hospital for 6 days.

When Courtney was just 5 months old, we got Joe diagnosed with ASD. (Autism Spectrum Disorder). It was hard to take at first. We knew that there was going to be complications with Kristen. And delay's, and challenges. With Joe, we were prepared and kind of knew something was off...but hearing it and reading it in a 15 page report was hard. We moved on, and have gotten Joe the help that he needs.

We thought that our family was complete...well someone else had a plan for us! :)

Without even trying we conceived again.

Before the baby came, we got diagnosis that Kristen too is on the ASD. It didn't seem to bother us so much this time...we knew that there would be even more supports in place for her too.

Kenny joined us 8 weeks early, on Aug 20, 2009. We thought the other's were small!! Yikes, not so much! Kenny was so tiny. But perfect. We waited for Kenny to come home and kept waiting and waiting. His Bradycardia (heart rate slowing) kept on going. So the Dr did a head ultrasound to find significant brain injury. Wow! This hit us like a ton of bricks. After we gathered ourselves, and got all of the information, we have moved on from diagosis, and have people in place to help keep Kenny on track. He came home on day 47 from the hospital.

Six years ago today, I would have never guessed that we would have had the ups and downs, the good the bad and the ugly. We are still in love, some days more than others...lol!! ;) But in six years, as a couple, I don't think that we could have been tested more in our relationship. We have become so strong because of our kids, and for our kids.

Six years ago today, I would have never guessed that my life partner, best friend, husband, and father of my children would have helped to create such wonderful children with me, and such a wonderful family.

Six years ago today, I married my Best Friend!