Happy Independence Day!

Hope you have the loveliest 4th of July possible!




A little flashback from last years Fourth of July...

Despite being almost five months old, Kyle was still not big enough to fit into newborn sized clothes.

So, Madison dressed him up in her Build a Bear clothes.

I am pretty sure someday Kyle will not be happy that I let his sister dress him up in doll clothes!

Happy 4th of July!

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Unhappy Birthday

The day Madison was born was one of the happiest in my life. Her birth was just like the movies. Well, except for the 51 hours of labor before she was actually born. Joe cut the cord and the doctors laid Madison on my chest. Immediately after she was born, right there in the delivery room, Joe and I spent time cuddling and admiring our baby girl. With a full head of hair and big blue eyes, she was the cutest baby ever.

Madison at five days old:



I cried tears of joy. Instantly Joe and I went from being a couple to a family. Life was perfect.

The day Kyle was born, on the other hand, was the worst of my life.

After my water broke at 22 weeks during our family vacation to Disney, I had been placed on bed rest in a hospital 1000 miles away from home. And I was okay with that. We were just so grateful that the doctors had been able to stop my labor.


At this point, I had been on bed rest for two weeks without any signs of labor being immanent. With people praying for us around the country, I was optimistic that I could last on bed rest for a couple months. But, the doctors had warned me that at some point labor would come, and it would come quickly. I however, was not prepared for just how quick they meant.


On February 20th, at a little after midnight, I got up to use the restroom. I did my business then laid back down in bed. It was only then that I realized something was terribly wrong. I literally could not put my legs together because the baby was falling out of me.


I frantically screamed for a nurse. She took one look at what was happening, and paged the delivery area to prep for an emergency. While this was happening, I grabbed my cell phone that was next to the bed and called Joe to alert him. The time on caller ID said 12:08am.


I was whisked down the hall and into the operating room which was full of people who were preparing for the delivery. The doctors discovered that it was actually the sac that was holding Kyle and his feet that were falling out of me. While Kyle's chances at survival were not high to begin with, with him being breech the doctors felt he certainly would not survive a vaginal delivery. So, the decision was made to try and push him back inside of me and then deliver him via c-section.


Kyle was born at 12:48 am. When he came out it was not as if you could hear a cry (the doctors later told us his lungs were the size of a lima bean) and everyone is happy and declares "it's a boy!" Instead the NICU team was there waiting and they went into overdrive trying to save this little life. Not knowing what his state was at birth, I just kept yelling "Is he alive???" until someone finally told me he was.

While I was being sewn up, a neonatoligist came to speak with me and let me know that they would do everything medically possible to give Kyle a chance at life, but there is only so much that can be done.

Until anesthesia wore off, which took a couple hours, I was not allowed to leave the recovery room to see the baby. During this time, I just laid in a bed all by myself and cried. I was so worried that Kyle would die before I ever got a chance to meet him.

In the meantime, Joe flew down to Florida. When we were finally able to go see Kyle together, we were shocked at how small he was. And it was not a tiny, cute little baby kinda small. He obviously was very sick. Despite all the problems on the inside - things like his lungs and heart not being developed - we were struck by how different he looked on the outside. One of his eyes were still fused shut. His skin was transparent and covered with hair. Even his ear lobes had not yet developed cartilage. I've never saw anything like it, but his ears just sort of hung down like Dumbo's. (Sorry Kyle, as I am sure you will read this someday!).


Kyle at five days old:




Unlike the day Madison was born, there was no cuddling and family bonding done with Kyle when he was born. In fact, it would be 69 days before I was even allowed to hold him wrapped in a blanket like a newborn.

Kyle was a fighter and after 119 days in the NICU, we were allowed to take our precious, healthy baby boy home. THAT day was one of the happiest of my life. I cried (okay I bawled) tears of joy as we made our way to the car with Kyle.

And it is THAT day that I want to celebrate.


Madison and Kyle the day he came home from the hospital:




When Kyle's birthday 1st birthday came around this past February, it just did not seem right celebrating with a big party in Ohio. So instead we headed back to Florida for a quiet reunion with our NICU family.

But, it has now been exactly one year since Kyle came home from the hospital and we are celebrating the occasion with a HUGE party for family and friends this weekend. And I couldn't be happier!!!

Mommy and Me Trip

Well Kyle and I survived our trip to Orlando together! In fact it was FABULOUS! It was just the two of us since Joe was attending a friends bachelor party in Las Vegas, and Madison flew out with him to chaperone stay with her Grandparents and Aunt Katie who live in Vegas.

Kyle did wonderful on the plane and it ended up being a breeze getting through the airport with him by myself.

Look mom, our plane is here!




On Saturday, Rylee and her mommy came to our hotel to swim. I was a little apprehensive about how Kyle would do in the pool. Memorial Day weekend we went swimming and Kyle hated being in the water.

I think having Rylee around must have helped get him acclimated to the water because he ended up loving the pool. In fact, we were able to get some swimming in everyday of our vacation and Mr. Kyle was a little fish in the water.





After swimming, the kiddos played. It was very cool to see them interact with each other. They have come so far since this time last year when they were both still in the NICU together.



Sunday was the NICU Birthday Party sponsored by Florida Hospital. It was awesome to be reunited with the amazing staff that took such good care of Kyle during his hospital stay.

Kristin (in the middle) was one of our favorite nurses...



Kyle with his Level 3 NICU neighbor...



And his Level 2 neighbor...

During the party, Kyle played in a bounce house with Rylee...


Bowled an (almost) perfect game....



Met his first clown...

And even did a little dancing...


It was a GREAT party, well worth traveling 1,000 miles to attend!

I debated whether or not to take Kyle to Disney, but ultimately decided that I just couldn't miss not taking him when we would be so close. And I am so glad I did! Seeing Kyle smile and wave at Mickey Mouse made it all worth it.

We arrived at Magic Kingdom just as the doors opened. Although I am NOT a morning person, I love being at the park early as you can walk on just about any ride with no waiting.



I have to admit, I was a little anxious about traveling by myself with Kyle. This does not sound very nice, but sometimes you just need a little break from a baby. Kyle and I would literally not be out of the same room as each other for five days. Would I go crazy?

As it turns out, this was such a special time for Kyle and I to bond. As Madison was an only child for seven years, I had lots of "alone" time with her. After the success of this trip, I am going to try and make it a priority to spend special one on one time with both Madison and Kyle. Maybe Madison and I will take a trip to American Girl Place later in the summer...

We caught up with special friends, played in the sun, went to Disney, laughed together a ton, and came back relaxed and refreshed. All in all, our trip really could not have gone any better!

Wordless Wednesday...

Dear Daddy and Madison,

Hurry home from Las Vegas. I miss you both so much!

Love,

Kyle

Orlando Sentinel

Kyle and I are in Orlando, FL and having a blast! Can't wait to tell you all about our trip, but that will have to wait until we get in home.


In the meantime, thought I'd share the following article that ran in today's Orlando Sentinel:


Florida Children's Hospital reunion in Orlando celebrates preemies

When Jennifer Kupiec's water broke in a hotel room just 22 weeks into her pregnancy, her Disney vacation took a frightening turn.

"My family was a thousand miles away," the Ohio woman said.

And then after her new son was born, the doctors at Florida Children's Hospital said his chances of survival were not good.

But yesterday, Kupiec, 36, held her healthy 15-month-old son, Kyle, at a reunion for former neonatal intensive-care patients and their families. The safari-themed party at Orlando Junior Academy -- complete with a moon bounce, crafts, clowns and a disc jockey -- gave patients and their families a chance to share their stories and reunite with their former doctors and nurses.


Kupiec flew in for the event out of appreciation for the care her son received. In February, they also visited the hospital for Kyle's first birthday.

"It just didn't seem right celebrating in Ohio," she said.

The hospital hosted a similar reunion six years ago. The plan was to host one every year, but the hospital never had the money. This year, hospital officials made sure to free up $5,000 for the party, plus an additional $2,000 in donations.

"We wanted to tell the families, 'Hey, we still care about you,' " said Wanda Perara, administrative nurse manager of the neonatal intensive-care unit.

Since the unit opened in 1983, it has treated nearly 11,000 babies, most of them premature. But full-term babies born with life-threatening diseases also are taken in.

Neonatologist Jim Rawlings said he has bonded with many of his patients and their families.

Dr. Jim Rawlings visits with former patients Kyle Kupiec and Rylee Davis

during a reunion Sunday at Orlando Junior Academy.

"They're going through one of the most trying times in their lives with a recently born critically ill baby," he said. "Anyone who offers them help and care will have a special place in their hearts."

Doctors and nurses also said they often made friends with the tiny patients.

In one case, that bond has lasted two decades.

Tranica Hardy, 20, came to the reunion with her former nurse, Anna Daverman, who is now her godmother. Originally from Cocoa, Hardy lives with Daverman in west Orlando. Hardy wants to go to school in the area and eventually work in neonatal care, paying forward the help she received.

"I like it," she said. "I think it's really cool to take care of babies."

Hardy was born prematurely in Texas after 26 weeks' gestation and was transferred to Florida Children's Hospital three months later. Her heart and lungs had not fully formed and she had trouble breathing. Daverman took care of her every day that she worked for 15 months.

In addition to former patients getting reacquainted with doctors and nurses, spontaneous reunions popped up between families that had babies in the same unit. The Kupiecs joined three other families they recognized from the hospital.

Kyle and John Michael Chicarelli

In the group was Kristie Chicarelli, 36, of Eustis, who came with her 16-month-old son, John Michael."We thought it would be really rewarding just to see other babies and share stories," she said.

Her story, she said, was harrowing: she got sick with cholestasis, a liver disorder, and had to deliver John Michael by emergency Cesarean section 29 weeks into her pregnancy.

"When he was born, he wasn't breathing," she said. "They didn't say 'boy,' 'girl,' anything. They just said, 'Time 5:23,' and took him to the NICU. I didn't see him for another hour and when I saw him again he had tubes everywhere."

John Michael spent 38 days in intensive care and is now in good health, Chicarelli said.

"We call him terror on two feet," she said. "He's into everything. We just feel so blessed."

Stolion Award

Warning: Parental bragging ahead...

At the end of each school year, the Stow Lion's club sponsors an award for students that have enriched their community and school by adhering to the following ideals:

• Respected by others, good personality, honest, fair.


• Accepts responsibly, does work promptly and efficiently, trustworthy.


• Respects authority, knows the rules, abides by the rules.


• Does more than required, dependable; or


• Has shown unusual improvement in any one or more of the above qualities.
  

The teachers pick one girl and boy to receive this award. The whole school gathers for the awards ceremony and it is a surprise as to who will be receiving the award.

Guess who was chosen?

Madison!!!

This is what the teacher who nominated Madison had to say about her...

"Stolion Awards are given to those students who demonstrate excellent character and who go 'above and beyond'. I have had the unique opportunity to have Madison in my class for two years, when most teachers will only have her for one. I consider myself extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to watch her grow and flourish during that time. She is an amazing kid with amazing character. She gives me her best effort with each and every task. She is respectful, fair, and responsible. She is a good citizen who cares about the classroom, her peers, and her teachers. "

When she got home from school, as a reward Daddy took her out to get an Ipod. At 1 inch by 1 inch, these things are tiny! And to imagine they hold 250 songs. Technology sure has come a a long way since my day when a Walkman was considered cool...and compact.

Madison, I could not be prouder of the special little lady you are growing up to be. I love you so much!





"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if you were working for the Lord, not for men" Colossians 3:23

Random Ramblings

The super sweet Amanda did a random thoughts post earlier in the week, and I really liked it. Since it seems I have a whole lot of nothing to say, I thought I would try it.

Here goes....

Kyle had an eye appointment to follow-up on his ROP, which had mostly cleared by his last appointment in September. Other than some slight scarring from his surgery, the doc said Kyle's eyes look great. He would like to see us again in a year, but only as a precautionary measure. While we were in the waiting room, Kyle was quite the social butterfly. If he did not have someones attention, he would literally grunt (sounds kind of barbaric, huh!) at them until he had their full attention. Once he had it, he would laugh and reward them with a HUGE smile. He was a little cutie.


Kyle LOVES to be outside. If Madison goes outside to play, and Kyle is not "invited", he'll sit by the door and cry until we take him outside. While he loves to be outside, he will not touch grass. He seems to have some strange fear of grass for some reason. This little quirk has actually served us well...during Madison's games he won't crawl off our blanket!


Boys are mischievous and apparently it starts early! Kyle is into everything. When Madison was a baby, she was content to sit and play with her toys. Kyle on the other hand, loves to go exploring. He is always going through the cupboards and has even crawled INTO the cupboards on occasion. If he can crawl somewhere, he goes. If there is something to explore, he will. We have even found him in the bathroom licking the toilet. Yuck, I know.


Yesterday Kyle learned to climb the stairs. I'm sure we're in for even more trouble soon!


Things on the eating front are going so-so, and Kyle's weight is sitting steady at 17 pounds. Some days he eats like a champ, others it is a struggle to get him to eat anything. Our challenge right now is that Kyle is beginning to prefer table food. That is actually a good thing, but the downside is that it takes him forever to "gum" his food. Where before he would consume a container of yogurt (120+ calories) in a few minutes, now it takes him the same amount of time just to eat one french fry. Seems silly, but we celebrate each calorie or bite of food that goes in Kyle's mouth.

Next week Kyle has his quarterly evaluation with a physical therapist. His last one did not go to well, so we are praying for a favorable report this time. I am (cautiously) optimistic though, as Kyle has made great strides in his gross motor skills over the last couple months. Hard to imagine that just three months ago he wasn't even rolling over yet. Now, he is crawling, pulling up on everything, and even climbing the stairs.

Kyle and I will be taking a trip together in the near future. More on that later. But, my question to you all...How in the world do I get through the airport with Kyle by myself? It's not the flying part that has me nervous. But after our plane lands and we get our luggage...I will have two suitcases, Kyle's pac-n-play, a carseat, my laptop, and the diaper bag. And of course Kyle in his stroller. I have no idea how I am going to manage! I figured that I could get one of those "Smart Carts" but I can't remember if those have a place for Kyle to sit. If that's the case, I'll be fine. I can just fold Kyle's stroller up and add it to our pile of stuff on the cart. If there isn't a place for Kyle to sit on the Smart Cart, I'm not sure what I can do. Any suggestions???

I'll leave you with some random cuteness...

Movin' On Up

Kyle is obviously at risk for developmental delays. The doctors have warned us of this since the day he was born.


We have been very proactive in doing all we can to help minimize any delays Kyle has. Two months before his due date, our little two pound baby began physical therapy.


I have always tried to give Kyle every advantage to help him succeed.


The furniture in the room where our family typically gathers is not very conducive to babies climbing, and specifically, learning to pull up.


As such, I have bought Kyle a collection of toys that are sure to encourage him to pull up. I say that I bought these for Kyle because, each time I come home with another, Joe rolls his eyes at me. But, I tell him these toys are just so fabulous, they are sure to entice Kyle to pull up so that he can play with them.


Well, this week Kyle finally pulled himself up for the first time! And, what do you think he used?


Maybe this musical Leap Frog toy....



Or this fun little play house....




This scooter from Grandma and Grandpa looks like lots of fun...

And this Fisher Price toy is sure to get him going. It even has convenient handles to help him pull up...

Surprisingly, none of these did the trick.


Instead, Kyle crawled over to the couch where the cat was laying. Grabbed hold of the cat's tail, and hoisted himself up.



Disclaimer: No cats were harmed! In fact, the cat just laid there without flinching while Kyle "hung" on.

Perhaps this is the Lord again reminding me that I just need to have patience.


In my defense, now that Kyle has practiced on the cat, he is using the toys to stand with.

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12

Busy Bees

We have been so busy lately, I have barely had time to feed my blog addiction. Madison is involved in so many activities right now, and it seems they all overlap in May. Most nights we are going to not just one, but two different events with her. Last night it was soccer followed by a softball game. Tonight it is Brownies, followed by an Art show at school. Ughhhh...I am looking forward to summer break!

Last week was especially busy as in addition to her regular events, Madison had cheerleading tryouts for Stow Youth Football. I was quite nervous as this is the first time she has ever had to try out for a team. I am so happy to report that Madison made it!!! She would have been devastated had she not. Cheerleading is something she loves and works very hard at.

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Madison and Joe went to a Father Daughter Dance last week. I wish I had a cute story or antidote about the dance to share with everyone, but as I was not there, all I have is a photo of them before the dance:

I was at home with my own "date" for the night. A pretty cute one if I do say so myself:

Well, just a quick post to let you know I am still alive! I'm off to go observe artistic masterpieces created by second graders. Good times! :)

Operation Baby Fat

Kyle is the most CHILL baby ever. The most easy going of dudes, but try to give him a bottle and he will bat it away (with remarkable accuracy) and go on a hunger strike for as long as he likes.

Our attempts to fatten him up just were not working. For almost three months, Kyle did not gain even an ounce.

We've tried enticing him with lots of goodies. We've tried tempting Kyle with ice cream, fresh fruits, every baby food imaginable...but he is unimpressed.

The doctor said we can't make a baby eat more. But, we could make what little he does eat count more.

So, we had to fool the little guy, and Operation Baby Fat was born.

Upon the advice of Kyle's specialist, for the past couple weeks, anything we give Kyle is LOADED with calories.

We're adding Carnation Instant Breakfast powder to his formula. We're adding heavy whipping cream to his baby food. We're even melting butter and adding it to his food. Mashed potatoes? Yummy. But add some cream cheese and butter to the potatoes...yummy and fattening.

And so far, it is working! Since we began Operation Baby Fat, Kyle has gained a little over a pound.

Right now, Kyle is in the 60th percentile for height. For his weight, he is not even ON the chart. At 17 pounds he is still a skinny mini.

But, at least we are beginning to see progress.

Tagged

The adorable Kendra from a Superhero, Princess & Monkey tagged me for a meme. The tag is to post six uninteresting things about myself and in turn tag six others to do the same.


I'd imagine you're all quite eager to read more uninteresting stuff about me, so here goes.......


1.) Growing up I was very into softball. I was a pitcher and selected to play on several All-Star teams. And we were very good actually. During my career playing, I won several state championships and even made it to the World Series one year.

2.) I am ALWAYS late. No matter what. I hate this about myself (as does my husband).


3.) I puffy heart my neighborhood. There are tons of kids Madison's age. I've made some awesome friends. Joe is always hanging with the other Dads. We've taken a couple of adults only trips with our neighbors. This summer we're heading to Hilton Head with two other families from our neighborhood. We've outgrown our house, but love the neighborhood so much I can't bear to move. I am trying to talk Joe into building a house across the street from where we live now, but so far he thinks that idea is "ridiculous."


4.) I wear heels EVERYWHERE. Even at home around the house. I'm very self conscious about my height and can't stand to be without the extra lift I get from heels.


5.) When I was 31, I was baptized as an act of obedience and a symbol of commitment to the Lord. Growing up, my family did not attend church or pray together. I always believed in God. But, I did not have a personal relationship with Him. About six years ago, a friend invited me to a bible study. In preparation for this study, I began reading the bible for the first time. Immediately I felt a sense of peace and my life has not been the same since.


6.) I have a very annoying habit, in my head. If I hear a word, I try to figure out what other words I can spell from that word. For example, from the word "Bread" you can also spell: bar, bad, bed, red, bear, ear, are, dare, bra, read, beard. You get the idea. And did you notice that I didn't mention any two letter words? Oh, no sir re. That would not be challenging enough for my little head game!


Here's who I am Tagging:


Carey @ A Woman's Prerogative
Mandy at The Gratton Grapevine
Krissy the Firecracker Mom


If you want to play:

• Link back to the person who tagged you.


• Post these rules on your blog.


• List 6 uninteresting things about yourself.


• Tag 6 random people at the end of your entry (or like me, only three).

Fro Me To You: Happy Birthday Sis

Kristen at We are THAT family is hosting a blog carnival and she has asked me to join. The carnival is called Sincerely 'Fro Me To You and the idea is that on Thursdays we'll share some flashback pictures and anecdotes.

Today is my sister Niki's birthday, so I am devoting this post to her. Niki is younger than I am by only thirteen months, so as you can imagine we were very close growing up.

We went through everything together...

Like when we complained one time to many about having our hair brushed. My mom promptly took us to get these lovely bowl haircuts...

Niki is on the left, our little sis Dawn is in the middle, and toothless on the right would be me.

We got wear such chic and sophisticated outfits together...

We received our first pair of Jordache jeans together on Christmas morning in 1981. Jordache jeans to a fourth grader? Best. Christmas. Ever.



We both got braces on the same day....



And we shared a love of BIG hair and BIG prom dresses...



It would have been cool if people thought we were twins since we were so close in age, but unfortunately for me, no one ever thought that. Instead, they always thought SHE was the older one. Niki has always been at least a few inches taller than I am (now she is about 5'8 and I am 5'2). Growing up I used to get so bummed about this.

“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Proverbs 31:29

Niki, you have a heart of gold. I am so proud of you and thankful to have you as my sister. I love you and I hope you have the happiest birthday ever.

Much Love,

Jennifer

20,000!

Yesterday we reached 20,000 hits since adding the Site Meter counter. Now I know for some superstar bloggers, 20,000 hits is a day in the life, but for me, I am thinking it is pretty cool!

Who would have thought that this rambling post written from my hospital bed last year would turn into this blog? A blog so thought provoking that it has been changing lives all over the world?

I kid, I kid. But, seriously, when I wrote that first post I had no idea if anyone would ever read it; we were just trying to cut down on all the phone calls to our hospital room! Apparently people were interested enough to keep reading, because here we are, 156 posts later.

We can’t have a 20,000th hit celebration without pictures! But since I have not taken any pictures recently, I thought I would share a few of my favorites that have been posted on the blog over the past year.

Now these aren't necessarily the BEST pictures, but they all represent something special.

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This was Kyle's first picture. One I am ashamed to admit that I would not post when Kyle was first born. The poor guy looked so pitiful and hopeless. Seeing Kyle like this, it was easy to understand why the doctors did not think he would make it. (Look at Kyle's arms, they are thinner than the nurse's finger)

But, seeing the above picture of Kyle taken in February 2007, and comparing it to this picture of Kyle that was taken in February 2008, makes me realize what a strong, amazing little fighter he is...

Madison wanted so much to be a big sister. Obviously under the circumstances, Madison could not partake in big sister activities in the typical fashion. But she did not let that stop her. Here she is reading to her little brother. And although Kyle weighed less than two pounds at the time, she would read to him with as much warmth and animation as if he was a pre-schooler hanging onto her every word.

When Kyle was almost three months old, he was finally deemed stable enough for Madison to hold him...

This picture was taken with Dr. Lugo shortly before Kyle was discharged from the hospital...

And this picture was taken with Dr. Lugo when we came back to visit...

And of course, I must include a picture of Rylee and Breanne, without whom my four month stay in Florida would have been so lonely...

Hitting 20,000 visits got me to thinking. Who is reading this blog???

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I totally respect your right to remain anonymous, but, I’m always curious who’s reading.

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If you've been looking for an excuse to make a comment, or introduce yourself, or tell me that you loathe me, consider yourself formally invited to speak up. Introduce yourself!

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I puffy heart you all. Lurkers delurk... that means you Michelle, Julie, Leanne and whomever else might read this blog but rarely ever comments. So leave me a comment (or I might have to post embarrassing pictures of you drinking "milk!").

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And, do we have ANY family that still reads this blog? Dear, sweet Great Aunt Sandra, whom I have never even had the pleasure of meeting, comments on almost every post. Are there any other family members that still pop in every once in awhile?

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Thanks for a happy 20,000! Lurkers? Delurk!

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God Bless,

.

Jennifer, Joe, Madison and Kyle

GNO

This weekend, Madison and I enjoyed a girls night out with a couple of our nearest and dearest friends. Leanne is a great friend and neighbor, who also happens to be Kyle's Godmother. Her daughter Reese goes to school with Madison.

We got manicures....



And pedicures....


I went with a sassy red, while Madison opted for maroon and gold since they are her school colors....


Afterwards, we went to TGI Fridays for dinner. While there, being the mature Mommy that I am, I discreetly told the waiter that it was Madison and Reese's birthday. They were a little confused and embarrassed when the Friday's staff came to sing them Happy Birthday...


Thankfully, the girls sat there in stunned silence and did not rat me out! All was forgiven though, when they realized their embarrassing song came with "birthday" ice cream...

Afterwards we made prank calls and tee-peed a cute boys house. No. Not really. We ended the evening by seeing the movie Baby Mama. Which by the way, is a decent movie, but something I would recommend waiting to see on DVD.

All and all, we had a great girls night out!

Much Love,

Jennifer

Progress...

I have been a bad, bad blogger. Spring is in the air and for the first time in months we are able to play outside. I have been out with the kiddos every day. Granted, most of our time "out" is spent watching Madison's soccer games or softball. But, we can spend time outside none the less.

We met with Kyle's Developmental Specialists last Friday. We have been meeting with them every other week since the fall. Each session, they ask what new things Kyle is up to. For months, all I had to offer was, "Oh, he got a new toy. Does that count?" or "New, look at this adorable NEW outfit he is wearing!" I always got the feeling that was not the response they were looking for.

Well, this past session, I had lots of new things to share. Just since our last meeting, Kyle began rolling over, crawling, clapping his hands and waving hi and bye. Yep, that's my boy! It felt so good to finally have something to share and they were quite pleased with his progress as well.

Oh, and Kyle learned all of the above while cutting four new teeth. He cut two teeth on the bottom in December, but since then, NOTHING. My overactive imagination actually began to think well, when he was born his heart, lungs, eyes, nerves, skin, even his ear lobes, weren't yet developed. Maybe he was born so early somehow his top teeth never had a chance to form. Silly Mommy! I think the Lord is trying to teach me some patience, as that is definitely not a virtue I was blessed with.

Ages and Stages

What word starts with the letter F and ends with UCK? The answer would of course be a FIRE TRUCK. No, this is not my idea of a good joke. It was however a joke that was written on a class mural by one of my fourth grade students during Sunday School recently. A class mural about “Daniel in the Lion Den” that each teacher was supposed to proudly display in her classroom when the kiddos finished it.

About 6 weeks ago, I switched Sunday School classes, leaving my beloved Second Graders (whom I had been teaching since they were 4 years old) and instead began teaching Fourth Graders. The class is mostly made up of boys and they are wild. On my way to teach my first class I was so excited and I prayed that the days’ lesson would reach the heart, lives, attitudes and actions, of my students. On my way to class the following weeks, I simply prayed to get through class without crying. I was out of my league.

Then my dear little Kyle came in and saved the day. You see, he is going through an awful case of separation anxiety. I would leave him in the nursery while I taught. Kyle was distraught without me, and three weeks in a row I ended up being paged to the nursery to come get him. The second he laid eyes on me, he would stop crying. Meanwhile, while I was getting Kyle, the rowdy fourth grade boys started a fire in the rest room one week, and another time they broke into the communion wine. No. Not really. Just trying to add a little excitement to my posting. But, it was obvious it was not going to work with Kyle’s newfound separation anxiety issues. So, this past week I was moved from the fourth grade classroom and I now get to serve in the nursery where my sweet baby boy is. I love it.

At eight years old, my daughter on the other hand is completely over any separation issues she may have once had.

She does not have school today. Typically this would be the ideal time to get some quality one- on-one time in with her. When I offered to take the day off work so that we could hang out or go shopping, she politely declined. I was shocked. I mean come on, I’m a hip, cool mom. Or at least I thought. Madison is now at the age where she’s rather hang out with her friends.

She may not want to hang out with me now during the day, but at night she sneaks into my bed to cuddle. Such an in between stage. I hold onto every single moment I can ... she's growing so fast.

When you’re a mom you’re supposed to give kids "roots and wings" but secretly I think we always hope our kids will never stop wanting and needing us. So for now, I am going to revel in Kyle’s separation anxiety…and try harder to figure out how to be the hip, cool mom to Madison.

On the move...

Kyle officially started crawling last week! He is so curious and into everything. I love this stage...I think babies look so adorable crawling and Kyle is no exception.

With this new skill, Kyle has turned into Mr. Independent. He is constantly crawling out of rooms to go exploring. Needless to say, we've had to baby proof the house. One of the funny things we've caught Kyle doing is crawling into Madison's room to look at the chandelier hanging from her ceiling. If you recall last month when we took the kids to Florida, while Kyle liked Disney enough, it could not compete with the huge chandelier in the hotel lobby. This kid is easy to please.

Much Love,

Jennifer, Joe, Madison and Kyle

My very first MEME!!!

What is a MEME anyways? I really have no idea, but it seems to be all the rage in the blogging world.

The amazingly witty and clever McMommy over at The McMommy Chronicles gave me a tag requesting a blog on "Five Classes I Wish They Would’ve Taught in School".

I mentioned this to the hubby, and Joe says, “That should be easy for you. Cooking, cleaning, laundry…” I don’t think he understood the concept that it should be things that would actually come in handy for me someday.

So, without further adieu, Five Classes I Wish They Would’ve Taught in School:

Driving in Driveways

When I was sixteen, and eager to drive any chance I got, I volunteered to back my father’s car out of the garage so that he could get to the lawn mower. I jump in the car, put it in reverse and proceeded to rip the mirror off of the passenger side door as my father looked on with horror. Even worse, it was a company car and only insured if my dad was driving. The poor guy had to go to the office the next morning and claim that he was the dingbat that tore the mirror off of his car while backing out of the garage. Since that time, my luck in driveways has not improved. Just last week after dropping Kyle off at the sitter’s house, I jump in my car, put it in reverse and SMASHED into the sitter’s car.

Pros and Cons of the Family Bed

When Madison was born, she ate every two hours around the clock. I was exhausted. It seemed so much easier to let her slumber by my side, breastfeed her during the night and then fall back into a welcome sleep. When she was six months old and no longer feeding during the night, we decided it was time to move her to the crib. No problem…for her. I on the other hand missed having her in our bed. I missed her so much I even slept on the floor next to her crib just to be near her. After a couple nights of that I moved her back into bed with us. Big mistake! Fast forward eight years, she is not able to sleep by herself. Although she sleeps in her own room, Joe or I have to stay with her until she falls asleep. And, undoubtedly, every night she eventually migrates to our room sometime during the night. She’s much to big to be sleeping in our bed, so the poor thing keeps a sleeping bag on the floor next to my bed and wakes up in it most mornings. I have terrible visions of her heading off to college, on the condition that Mommy will take the top bunk in her dorm room.

How To Carry A Tune

I am the worst singer. And it really is a shame because I love to sing. But I am just so bad at it. Even Kyle tends to grimace when I sing him a bed time lullaby.

Wine Tasting 201

I ingeniously signed up for Wine Tasting 101 in college. That's right. At good ‘ol Kent State you could actually get college credit for drinking alcohol. And it was great. I would have loved a follow-up course.

Bigger is NOT Always Better

Particularly when it comes to my hair in the late eighties, early nineties. What was I thinking??? I would spend two hours a day, teasing, curling and spraying. All for this…..





I'm especially proud of this look. Can't decide if you should part with your big hair for one night and wear it up to a dance? No problem. Why not just put half of it up? Best of both worlds.

And now I'm supposed to tag five people I'd like to get to know better...I’m not sure that more than five people even read my blog, so I’m going to have to tag anyone who has posted here recently! That said, I tag: Breanne, Kristie , Hilary , Kendra and Nan. I also tag anyone who would like to share a few things about themselves. Please leave me a comment after you do the meme so I can come and read it!

The rules are simple, post your "Five Classes I Wish They Would Have Taught in School" and then tag some people. Be sure to leave them a comment at their blog so they know they've been tagged!

If your happy and you know it....

...clap your hands!

Yep, Kyle has learned how to clap his hands! We have been showing him how to clap for some time now, and he would always just laugh at us. Something must of clicked though...I am coaching cheerleading and during last weeks game, whenever my squad finished a cheer, or a player made a basket, Kyle would clap along with the crowd. It was so adorable to watch.

Since then, when we do something for Kyle that he likes, he claps his hands. When you get excited with him, he claps his hands. When he does something he’s proud of, he claps his hands. And if you just say “yay!” to him, he claps his hands. He's quite the clapper!

Madison had her cheerleading banquet tonight which officially marks the end of the season. She did a fantastic job cheering and had loads of fun as she had a couple of good friends on her squad. While she is a bit sad to see the season come to an end, I am relieved that we can cross one of her activities off the list. Now we just have soccer, softball, gymnastics, CAST (her church youth group) and Brownies to contend with. This kid is busy.

Madison, great job. I love you and am so proud of you.

Rollin' with my homies...

"They were glad to hear the report and praised God." Joshua 22:33

Every time Kyle reaches a developmental milestone I applaud. I applaud not only to let him know how proud I am of his accomplishment, but because it is a sign to me that he is "normal."

Kyle had a very difficult start, spending four months in the NICU, but he was one of the lucky ones. He came home. And after many follow-up examinations, he appears to be healthy. While I rejoice at his will to live and our positive outcome, I can't help but wonder what impact his extreme prematurity will have on his future and, since modern medicine has just recently started saving tiny babies like Kyle, what unidentified concerns might lay ahead?

We were told at his birth that he had a 50-50 chance of survival. We were told that if he did survive, he has a 50% chance of having one of the following disabilities: mental retardation, cerebral palsy, blindness or deafness. And then again a couple months later when Kyle tested positive for CMV, we were told if Kyle contracted CMV while I was pregnant with him, he has a 90% chance of having some sort of long term disability such as cerebral palsy, vision or hearing problems. If CMV was contracted after birth, the risk of any long term affects decreased to just 10%.

Although I am elated and so thankful to God for how well Kyle is doing, at time's I can't help but be apprehensive about his future. And I must admit lately my fear for what may lie ahead was beginning to increase. The last developmental milestone Kyle hit was when he started sitting up in December. In December he also got his first two teeth and began giving Madison high-fives. Since then, he's certainly gotten more adorable, but nothing new on the developmental side for almost four months now.

The end of March Kyle had his quarterly evaluation with his physical therapist who promptly reported that Kyle had "vestibular issues" and "mild developmental delays." Although not completely unexpected, it was really the first time we had a negative evaluation. What this meant for Kyle long term, the therapist could not tell us. What she could do is give us some exercises to do with Kyle and see how his body would react to them. If they helped, then it is most likely just that his muscles needed strengthened, if we do not see improvements, it may be something more.

I am so happy to report that literally with-in hours of beginning his new exercises we were already seeing improvements! One of Kyle's areas of concern was the fact that at nine (adjusted) months old he was still not rolling over deliberately. He had rolled over several times, but it was usually not on purpose, more so that he was so frustrated that he would flop over. So, we began doing a series of exercises to strengthen his trunk muscles, such as these with an exercise ball:

We also have exercises we do with Kyle each time his diaper is changed, ways the therapist has showed us how to lay him down and pick him up, and even carry him that promote strength in his trunk area. And, lucky Kyle has also been receiving baby massages, which is supposed to help with his vestibular issues.

Our little guy is now rolling everywhere - hence the title of this post! He is rolling from his stomach to his back, from his back to his stomach. He can now go from a sitting position to his stomach. He can also go from his stomach to a sitting position.

Kyle has a few other new "tricks" up his sleeve, but I think I am going to save those for another post. I usually do not have much to blog about, but there is so much going on right now with our little guy!!! I'm so excited. I tell ya, this kid is amazing!

Much Love,

Jennifer, Joe, Madison and Kyle

Kyle's 1st Haircut...

Our little mophead was long overdue for a haircut! I took him to this really cute salon, Snip-It's, that is designed just for kids. Kyle did great and didn't cry at all. He was just a little annoyed that the lady cutting his hair would not let him play with her scissors.

Before...

And After...

Doesn't he look so handsome? He is growing up so fast! Speaking of which, I have TONS of updates for you all, which I promise to post tomorrow. You won't believe what our little guy has been up to.

Much Love,

Jennifer, Joe, Madison and Kyle

New Look...

We're getting more and more high-tech! Our new look was created and designed by Hilary, a very talented Ohio State student who designs blog layouts in her spare time. Thanks so much Hilary for the new look! Check out Hilary's blog here.

I thought, wouldn't it be cute and clever to take a picture of Kyle holding a sign