I haven't written in here in quite a while.  There has been lots happening in the Wright household.  Since the last time I wrote, Kayla has turned a year old.  Its just nuts to look back on this year with her and how fast it went by.  We had so much fun with our family and close friends celebrating her first birthday.  She LOVED the cake...a little too much I think.  It was hysterical to watch her eat it.  She had it all over her face, her hair, even up her nose.  She was in heaven.

Thanksgiving was a very eventful weekend for us.  We spent Thanksgiving Day with my side of the family.  My baby brother was up from Florida with his bride-to-be and this was the first time we all got to meet her.  She is awesome and such a perfect fit for my brother.  My other brother and his wife were up from southern VA and its always nice to get to spend time with them.  So my whole family was together this year.  Its so much fun...so much chaos...so much food.  On black Friday I got to go out shopping with my mom, sisters, sister-in-law and sister-in-law-to-be in Manassas.  We all had a great time and we all found some really great deals.  Then, in true Letsen women fashion, we had lunch at Olive Garden...it wouldn't be a Letsen girls outing without it.  Then on Saturday we were back in Rapp with my family to go and see a customer of my Dad's who does this amazing train set in his back yard...it was so cool.  We also went to the Peppermint Tree farm which is also a Letsen family tradition of many years, to cut down a tree for my parents home (and my sisters got one too for their homes).  Sunday we spent the day with the Wright family eating some Thanksgiving favorites and enjoying each others company...and of course, it wouldn't be a Sunday afternoon in the Wright home without a football game.

In the past couple weeks she has taken a few steps on her own.  Today she seems to be trying a lot more to walk.  Even getting up from the ground on her own.  Its so exciting.  I have been praying very diligently for my kids to walk.  Noah has been walking SO MUCH on his own.  He actually gets quite frustrated with his walker these days and much prefers to go it alone.  He doesn't even want to hold our hand.  What an absolute miracle.

We are definitely looking forward to Christmas being right around the corner.  This year we will spend Christmas Day with the Wright side of the family and head out to my side of the family that weekend.  We are very much looking forward to the New Year and all the hopes we have for a good year.  This year has been very challenging for us and we are praying for some rest, and newness in the new year.

Potty Training part 2

So Sunday ended being a HUGE fiasco. We thought after the day he had on Saturday he would do alright...maybe an accident here or there due to the distraction of traveling and playing with cousins...but we didn't think it would be as bad as it turned out to be.

The trip went great. We stopped twice along the way and we got to mom and dad's accident free. YAY Noah! We actually thought that would be worse than actually being there. Boy were we wrong. I don't think in all the times we took him to the potty there was a single time we went there without wet undies. Poor guy. He was too distracted and having too much fun to even consider going to the bathroom. How can you blame him though. He has had uninterrupted play for the past 4 years. He's never had to even consider the idea of going peepee in the toilet. By the end of this day though, Kevin and I were ready to throw in the towel and put him back in diapers. On the way home I was practically in tears because I just kept thinking about how Kevin had to go back to work on Tuesday and there was just no way my back could take that "heavy lifting" all day. I was in pain just from the few times I tried to help out. So we discussed some more options and the one that seemed to make the most sense was for Kevin to spend all day Monday (Labor Day) in the bathroom...literally...with Noah.

That he did! He set up a blanket, picnic style, on the floor and we put tons of books that Noah likes to read, games (candy land is his favorite right now), prizes for good potty time, and lots of snacks and juice/water. The night before we bought a doll at Walmart (for $9) that could drink a bottle and then go peepee. We heard this was a really good way to show the kids how to go on the potty themselves. I took Kayla and went out for a while. When I came back I heard lots of yelling going on and I couldn't quite tell if Noah was crying and upset or if they were playing. I found out later, they were playing candy land and Noah was screaming out what he was getting on his cards. SO CUTE!!! He was having so much fun and Kevin was doing such a great job of showing Noah how to go potty by making a game of it.

By about 4 in the afternoon, Kayla was down for a nap and I was on the computer, Kevin came out from the bathroom and said Noah had fallen asleep. I got very nervous, but Kevin seemed as cool as a cucumber. He said Noah so far had remained dry. Noah stayed asleep for about an hour or so and remained dry the whole time. Kevin put him on the potty right away when he woke up and he went a lot. SUCCESS!!! He was learning how to hold it for the potty. What an amazing feat!

Today I was a little nervous sending him off to school because he wouldn't go before he left. So I put a pull-up over his undies, just in case. This is the note I got home after school: Noah wouldn't go on the potty, but he remained dry all day. WOW. I am so shocked that he remained dry without ever even going to the bathroom while he was at school. I had a guy here from out gas company when Noah got home from school today. SO I wasn't able to take him right to the bathroom...but when I did, his pull-up was a bit full. Oh well, we'll just keep plugging away. He's remained dry since we took that pull up off. We have had one good trip to the bathroom so far.

SO AMAZING!!! I am so proud of him. I think this is really great considering we got a late start on the potty training business!! GO NOAH GO!!!

Magic Potty Day

Yesterday was a big milestone for Noah. Potty training! Up to this point he has shown absolutely no interest whatsoever to going peepee on the potty like a big boy. But we figured, at 4 years old, we just couldn't wait any longer for him to be "ready". They say that one of the biggest signs to look for is a child "asking" to go potty. Well, Noah just never did that. As a matter of fact, when we would ask him if he would like to try, he would begin to really fuss about it. Noah has gotten so big though, that I am really struggling to change his diaper anymore. So we felt it was time, plus with kindergarten right around the corner we need to get this under wraps.

The day yesterday went pretty well. We started off strong. We had a couple accidents through out the day, but we were trying to be very consistent about going every 10 minutes and just working our way up from there. He was all about the praises when he would go peepee on the potty and I even made a chart for him to mark his progress using NEMO stickers. I think he really liked that. He really wanted a DORY sticker, but those stickers are bigger/puffier so we thought we would save those for a big event (like poopoo). So we began to try and bribe him with a DORY sticker for that. We are also telling him, no downstairs (his play room) until he goes poopoo. We are nervous that he'll get down there and go in his pants because that is normally where he goes, because its private for him. I think towards the end of the day he was starting to understand that he needed to tell us when he needed to go, except that he was telling us just as he was beginning to go in his pants. I am sure we will get that part of it down before this long weekend is over. By the end of the day we were all very tired. LOTS of running back and forth to the potty yesterday, but I must say, we did feel successful. I think 4 accidents for a first day is pretty remarkable.

Today we are really going to try and push poopoo on the potty and we are starting out the day with 30 minute intervals. Also, today we are going out to visit my parents, so that puts a little more challenge in the training for us. But I know he can do this. We have already mapped out a couple places to stop and go potty.

We are so proud of our Noah!!! What a big boy!!!

Just got back from a long vacation...I think it was about 10 days altogether. We went down to Myrtle Beach. Great weather all week. A thunderstorm or two, but nothing that took an entire day in the sun away from us.

Kayla went through some big milestones while we were there. Not only did she cut ANOTHER tooth...her first front tooth on the top, but she also learned to crawl. My life is changing so quickly. She was into everything and all over the place.

Both kids were thoroughly entertained all week by their cousins. Kayla was doted on by all of them, while Noah was getting crazy with them. I think this beach trip really taught Noah how to interact with his sister. It is such a joy to me to see him finally acknowledging her.

Noah and Kayla both had a great time in the pool. We got Noah a blue tube to wear around his waist, he calls it the "blue sun" and he was able to float around the pool on his own without so much help from daddy and mommy (mostly daddy as I was tending to Kayla). Kayla had a baby floating device that was really great. Both our kids love being in the water.

We went to Broadway at the Beach a couple times for restaurants, but on the last day we were there we did some shopping and let Noah ride some rides.  Boy, did he ever have a great time.  He rode on a motorcycle ride that popped-a-wheelie during the ride (merry-go-round style).  But the one that gets 5 starts was the big trampoline thingy (have no clue what it was called).  He was beyond excited about it and once he got on...the look on his face was PRICELESS.  He actually got very mad at Daddy when it was time to take him off.  That is one we will remember forever and one I am sure he will go on each time we are there.  As a mom, to watch was a little terrifying...however, as happy as it made him all my fears melted away.

This week at home I have noticed Noah really watching after his sister and it really blesses my heart. He see's her picking up something or doing something she shouldn't be and he tells her no...almost like a warning to me to let me know she is in "danger". When she is napping he asks where she is...so cute. Its taken so long for him to even notice her and this is really just remarkable to me that he is doing this now. I think it took that time with his cousin's to see how they interact and react to each other and Kayla, for him to realize she is his sister and she needs him.

So now we are back to the old grind. Kevin went back to work yesterday and I felt super lonely without him. Its tough going that long having him right by my side, every day all day to him being gone all day again. I miss my babe!

Noah's Post-Op follow up

Yesterday we went to DC Children's to follow up with a CT Scan and with Dr. Myseros about Noah's progress since his shunt revision.  Dr. Myseros showed us the images from pre-op, post-op and then from yesterdays scan.  the results were unbelievable.  His ventricles were significantly smaller since his last scans.  Whats so amazing to me, is that Noah had been sick for so long and they kept ruling out his shunt because there was no change in his ventricles and the whole time, his ventricles were swollen and building up pressure, but they didn't notice the difference because they had been that way for so long.  Dr. Myseros wants to see him back in about 6 months for another CT Scan and follow up.

Noah is such a different child lately.  He's happy.  He's active and just a joy to be around.  We are so glad Noah isn't sick anymore.  What a blessing.

Jeremiah 29:11

A Wife of Noble Character

Proverbs 31 speaks of a Wife of Noble Character.  This is something I have studied off and on for many years.  This morning I am feeling the conviction to study it again.  I think my role as a wife in my own family is slightly lacking.  I have gotten completely caught up in my role as a mommy and in other roles that are less important than my roles in my own family and have somehow along the way, neglected my role as a wife. 

Being a wife is no small task.  It isn't about having that princess for a day wedding and then letting the husband take care of the rest.  God has given me a great calling in being a good wife to my husband.  My husband is an amazing man and together we have gone through a great deal in our marriage.  He deserves WAY better than what I have been giving him...as of late.  This has been heavy on my heart.  

So I am going to start by giving myself weekly challenges...although they may seem small to some and they may come easy to some...they are just things I would like to work on in my role as a wife and become second nature for me to do.  Practice makes perfect, right?!?!  These things may start out as tasks for me, but I would love for them to grow into things my husband looks forward to each day when he wakes up and when he returns from work and for them to become things I do without thinking about it, but just because I love him so much.  I want him to see how much I love him, not just hear it.

This week I would like to work on greeting my husband at the door as he gets home from work.  I want him to look forward to seeing my smiling face when he gets home and not have to worry about what he's going to be bombarded with upon coming home.  Like I said, although this may seem simple to some, it is something I (regrettably) don't always do.  I am ashamed to note how many times I have not had a pleasant greeting for him upon his return from a long day at work.  I don't want my husband to dread coming him.  I want him to look forward to it.  So after about a week or so, I want to update things I may notice through out the week as I do this.

So I haven't blogged in a while and I thought I might jot down some thoughts tonight since Kevin is running late getting home. Poor guy, he actually ran out of gas on 17. I feel so bad for him. So he is currently waiting for his friend Albert to get there with some gas for him. Albert is a good friend. Kevin didn't want me coming out all that way with the kids...although I would have done it, no questions asked. Its too hot to be stranded today.



I am currently watching Kayla as she scoots across the floor. She has been in the process (all day) of trying to crawl. It has been so awesome to watch. She's getting so close. I think that by the end of this weekend she will be getting along quite nicely.



Noah got his glasses this week and he looks absolutely adorable. Such a handsome little man and he is doing so good wearing them. I really thought we would be fighting with him on this, but he actually seems to really like them. He took them off today to lay down for a bit and I thought that would be it for the rest of the day...but he had them on when he came back upstairs. So proud of him.



I am going through a tough time this week. I have pretty much holed up in the house...other than a visit to my sister earlier in the week. My neighbor said some pretty "off" things to me this week and it really just crushed me. I spent a large part of the day crying about it and now I just don't even want to go outside and be around any of my neighbors. Really wondering what is being said behind my back...considering what was said to me on Monday.

(this was posted on facebook last night in case you may have seen it there)

I just wanted to send out an update on Noah. Some of you may or not know that Noah had surgery today...shunt revision. It has been a very long process getting to this point. Many months of vomiting, feeling sick and cranky, visits to the doctor and specialists ranging from Neuro-Surgeon, Neurologists, GI Specialist, Allergist to Ophthalmology...we have seen them all. Lots of long days in the car going back and forth trying to figure this out. In the past month Noah has had 3 hospital stays...including this one. We are currently at DC Children'sNational Medical Center. When we got here, more than ever before we were certain there was something wrong with his shunt. Yesterday they decided to tap his shunt...similar to a spinal tap they go right into the shunt. The result was bittersweet. The tap did not draw any fluid, which meant something was wrong with the shunt, which meant surgery (the bitter), which meant this was the answer that we had been praying for (the sweet) to all the vomiting, sickness and crankiness over the past several months.

Today, Noah's surgery was a success. They were able to get in and out fairly quickly and remove the old shunt and install the new one without having to adjust the tubing that drains the fluid from his head into his tummy. There were no major complications during the process. Noah is currently sitting up (somewhat) in his bed, watching Kung Fu Panda (for about the 20th time since we arrived here) and eating his 8th cracker (its all he wants and he gets whatever he wants right about now). Assuming all goes well tonight and after a clear CT Scan, we will most likely get to go home tomorrow.

Kayla has been just wonderful. She seemed very concerned for her big brother through out this process. Every time someone would come to adjust some wiring or mess with Noah, she would be straining her neck to check it out...almost as if making sure no one was hurting her big brother. It was very sweet to witness her concern in her own baby way. God's hand has been on Noah and all of us through out this process and we are so grateful to him for finally revealing the root of this problem. We are looking forward to many days without vomiting and I would be happy to never see a specialist or hospital again...where my kids are concerned.

Thank you all so much for your prayers. We have definitely felt them through out this. God has been so faithful...even in my very weak moments as a mommy watching my son go through this time in his life. We are so grateful that he has blessed both our children with very sweet spirits...especially for Kayla to be a baby and still manage to be so content with all these hospital stays and driving back and forth.

Thank you also SO MUCH for all the encouraging emails, FB messages and phone calls. It has really kept us strong and helped us get through this...we have the greatest friends and family that anyone could have. We are truly blessed!

Love and blessings back at ya!

---

http://www.marchforbabies.org/lyteyz

Peace be to you, and love joined in faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace (God's undeserved favor) be with you all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with undying and incorruptible love. AmenEphesians 6:23-24 Erin Wright

http://babiesonline.com/babies/w/wright/

What's Happening?

Hi Everyone!    First and foremost Kevin and I want to thank all of you SO MUCH for how you all banded together recently to lift up our son in prayer.  I have been told that the prayers went out all over this country for him and I must say...we DEFINITELY felt the prayers and saw how quickly God moved on behalf of our lil man!  It never ceases to amaze me how quickly our brothers and sisters in Christ will come together for us when we need them most.   As most of you know Noah has been having episodes of vomiting for the past several months and throughout this time we have been back and forth to several doctors to try and figure out what is going on.  At first, we were told he is just suffering from stomach flu and being a child in school with an already weak immune system we just have to let it run its course.  Ok, we'll except that for the first 2 times, but going on 3 and 4 and 5, I just knew it was something more than that.  So Kevin and I started to mark his episodes on the calendar and we very quickly noticed a pattern of every 2 weeks for 3 - 4 hours in the morning, every 20 to 30 minutes.  Then the last of the vomiting would taper off around 11am or noon and he would be completely fine for the rest of the day.  Eating, playing, acting as if he hadn't just spent the morning vomiting.  In the past couple months Kevin did some research on-line and found something called Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVS) and it sounded very similar to what Noah was experiencing.  The "scheduled" vomiting (making it cyclical), the associated pain and then all of a sudden fine as if nothing had happened.  So we printed it out and took it to Noah's pediatrician.  Unfortunately, CVS isn't something easily diagnosed.  There is no simple test to diagnose it.  They basically have to test for everything else and once everything else is ruled out, they diagnose whats going on with CVS.  So Noah's PED sent us down to UVA (our home away from home) to see a GI Specialist (Dr. Barnes).   Upon seeing Dr. Barnes he also mentioned the CVS, but had to rule out some other things first.  So he sent us home to do a "clean-out" that weekend of Noah's bowels.  This resulted in Noah becoming very sick again.  Dr. Barnes suggested we get a shunt work-up for Noah because the episodes seemed to be coming on my frequently.  So upon his next vomiting episode, which was this past Monday, we contacted Noah's Pediatrician and took Noah in to get a shunt work-up done.  This consisted of a CT scan of his brain as well as an x-ray.  The work-up proved to be inconclusive.  His Ped said it looked as if his 4th ventricle was slightly larger than the last scan we did, a year ago and he suggested we contact Noah's neurosurgeon.  Being that it was a Holiday we waited till Tuesday to contact them.   On Tuesday morning I was on my way home from Kayla's PT appointment when I got a call from Noah's school that he wasn't feeling well and that they had him lying down with a pillow and blanket.  So I contacted Children's Hospital and they suggested I go ahead and bring him in that day with his scans from the day before.  So I had to go back to the Winchester Hospital to pick up the scans and as I was doing that I received a call from Noah's school again that he had started vomiting, had a seizure and stopped breathing for a couple seconds, but that he was breathing again and on his way to the local hospital.  I was at least 40 minutes away from Noah and I knew that Kevin was even further.  As panic set in, I just began to cry out to God.  I prayed for protection over my son, for God to breathe his PERFECT breath of life into my son and for Him to help me calm down so I could drive and get to my son safely.    Once at the hospital I wasn't getting any clear answers about what happened and even the doctor just seemed completely out of sorts (in the 2 times I have been to this hospital, this seemed to be the way these doctors "work"...not good).  I must say though, on behalf of Noah's teacher's and school...they were amazing and I am so grateful to them for helping to take care of Noah in the best way they knew how.  I think they handled the situation completely professionally and it is very evident how much they love those children they work with...including my son.   Noah was flown to DC Children's where they ran a BUNCH of tests, scans and everything you can think of to try and figure out what was going on.  We saw Noah's neuro-surgeon who soon ruled out any shunt malfunction.  PRAISE JESUS!  He said Noah's ventricles looked fine and that the shunt appeared to be functioning properly.  We also saw a neurologist and had an EEG done.  The EEG showed no seizure activity and the neurologist believes the seizure was a result of the dehydration and stress from the episode he had.  We also saw a GI specialist while we were there and between her and the neurologist, they both strongly believe Noah has CVS, especially considering my family history with migraines (CVS is of the migraine family).  There are still a couple more out-patient tests they would like to have done to rule out any other scenario, but they are currently treating him for CVS.  Noah will have to see a neurologist on a regular basis and have just a couple more visits with his GI Specialist.   So in hopes of ending this novel I have written and let you all go on about your day...I just want you to know how much Kevin and I appreciate and love you all.  Your support and prayers last week really kept us 'afloat'...and not just last week, we realize its been on-going.  Sometimes I wonder if its ok to continue to ask for prayer support as much as we do...as if one has a limit on how much prayer they can ask for.  It really blesses us that you all continue to pray for us and with us and continue to befriend us through it all...that you haven't given up on us.   Much love and MANY BLESSINGS to you.   Kevin, Erin, Noah and Kayla Jeremiah 29:11

News for Noah's Tummy

Today we took Noah to see an allergist in hopes of figuring out if an allergy is contributing to these vomiting episodes he has been having. The Dr. was really nice and very good with Noah. He was very easy to talk to and Noah seemed to take really well to him. The test was pretty amazing. Nothing barbaric like the old way of giving allergy shots up and down the child’s arm. This test was quite simple and Noah didn't seem to notice at all. They basically did 4 sets of "stamps" on his back. Each set contained 8 allergens ranging from different food allergies, to out-door allergies, to indoor allergies. In the last set they had 2 controls. One was Saline, which doesn't really do anything and the other was histamine, which has a bump and red reaction. So these helped to determine which, if any, Noah was allergic to. If any of the other sets had a reaction similar to or greater than the histamine then that proved to be an allergy. Of all the ones I tried to guess the allergies would be...the ones he actually had, were nowhere near what I thought. He had a +2 for chicken and a +3 for feathers. So weird. All this time he was allergic to chicken and we always thought it was the one thing he would eat that would be a good source of meat/protein for him and now he can't have it. The Dr. did say this was one most kids tend to out-grown. SO maybe he will be able to eat chicken again someday. I must say, on the bright side these have to be the easiest allergies to remedy. With chicken, it is just as easy to remove it from his diet and try again in a few months and see if there is a reaction. At least I don't have to go and read the labels on everything to check for an ingredient. And with the feathers, we just have to cover his pillow in a specific casing or just change his pillow to a non-feather one. So I must say, if he's going to have allergies...at least these are easy.

 

So maybe him eating chicken was the problem with the vomiting all along and the feathers were certainly the culprit for the constant nasal/sinus issues. We'll see. The next time he has a vomiting episode we still want to get the shunt work up because we can never be too careful with that, but we will also try chicken with him again in a couple weeks and see if he ahs a reaction the next day.

 

I must say, I do feel a sense of relief in discovering this today. Praise the Lord for answers.

Update on Noah April 2009

Hi Everyone!

Its been a really long time since the last update I sent out and I figured now would be a good time with Noah turning 4 tomorrow. Four has come up so fast and I just can't believe how fast time flies with children...slow for them, but fast for us!

As most of you know, Noah became a big brother back in November and it has been a slow, but very fun process of him stepping into his role as a big brother. He loves giving Kayla kisses just before going to bed and lately it seems he wants to give her kisses at random moments through out the day. Kayla adores her big brother and she watches him intently as he plays and watches Sesame Street...she seems to really like watching Elmo right along with him.

Noah has made some pretty big strides in school this year. His progress on his walker has been amazing. He has great control of his walker and he walks around with confidence all the time now. He loves to go for walks down our street and even out to play with the kids in our neighborhood...and they seem to love having him out to play with them. In the past month his PT has started training him in using "walking sticks". I was given the opportunity to see him on them right before Easter and it really brought a tear to my eye watching him because I could just envision the potential for him once he can walk with those confidently and independently. Right now he is just learning to balance on them before actually getting to walk and his PT set a goal of him being able to use them in the class room by the end of next school year.

In speech they are working on getting Noah to use sentences when he talks, rather than just one or two word answers. He is working on "why" and "what" questions and has learned a lot about colors, numbers and the alphabet. A couple of Noah's favorite phrases as of late are: "I feel angry", which he learned from Rosita, on Sesame Street. And he also likes to say, "Your driving me nervous" which he got from mixing two different phrases he hears me say...usually, if I catch Noah playing on the stairs I tell him, "your making mommy nervous. Please come up or go down" and also (I promise this isn't something I tell my sweet lil man), "Your driving me nuts" which I tell the dog when he wont get out from under my feet (our dog tends to be a bit neurotic at times). He does say a LOT more, but I always think those two phrases are so funny to hear coming from my little mans mouth.

In OT Noah is learning how to use a "tripod" hold (how you would hold a pen) to color or write things. They are also working with him on using scissors with these really cool "loop" scissors. I am on a mission myself to find some to use with him at home this summer.

In class Noah is learning how to count things rather than just counting to ten and they are also working on teaching him how to spell his name. They have done many field trips over this past year...the dentist, the grocery store and tomorrow we will be going to the park and to dairy queen. Noah has so much fun with his friends at school and loves going 4 days a week. We have seen so much progress in Noah's development since he started school and each day we are blessed to see the miracles God has done and continues to do in his life. He has FAR surpassed what the doctors had expected from him.

Kevin and I have joined a committee at Winchester Medical Center called the NICU Parent Advisory Committee and it has been such a joy to be a support for not only the NICU staff there, but more importantly the families that are having to experience the NICU themselves. Its so much fun to see the NICU staff on a more regular basis and get to share with them all the strides Noah has made over the years. One of the things we are doing with the NICU PAC is the March of Dimes March for Babies on May 16th. We will be walking 4+ miles that day. The money we raise supports programs in our community that help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies. And it funds research to find answers to the serious problems that threaten our babies. Since you are receiving this email from us today, then you know the story of Noah and what he's come from and even what I have experienced in my "challenging" early term pregnancies. Even in my last pregnancy with Kayla, I had to go through a lot in order to keep the pregnancy as long as I did...one day short of 37 weeks. Its loads of prayers, God's healing touch and direction that has lead us to the right doctors and care for myself and our babies, and also in big part the research and programs funded by this amazing organization that have helped our son, Noah to survive and over come the odds. I know this is a very tough economy right now and it has really hit each family on different levels, but we are asking that you prayerfully consider supporting both Kevin and I on this walk. Please come take a look at the web-page I created in honor of my son and my late nephew, Tristan to find out how to make a donation (click on link below).

Our constant prayer is for Noah to walk on his own, independent from his walker, walking sticks or holding someones hands. We also pray that in the time it takes to get to that point that his confidence grows as he uses tools such as his walker and now, the walking sticks. Please also pray for Noah as he has suffered from a stomach "problem" (for lack of better term) for the past 6+ months. We are praying that the Lord would just lead and direct us to the right doctor to figure out the problem and bring him some comfort finally to his little tummy. We are so grateful for all God has done in Noah's life and in our family. And we are so blessed to have all the people in our life that have been there to support us and lift us up in prayer and befriend us over the past few years during all these challenges we have faced.

Love and blessings to you all!

http://www.marchforbabies.org/lyteyz

Crochet

I started crochet about a year ago and I have been completely addicted to it ever since. I have made several baby blankets for friends, a shawl for my mom, a hat for myself (my first project), and my most recent finished project was a scarf for my BFF.

I recently became aware of a website called Ravelry (noted on my favorites list) and I just can't peel my eye's off the site. There is so much to look at on there. So much to learn from the site and so many people to meet. I have gotten GREAT inspiration from this site and I want to learn so much more about crochet. I feel like my craft is so basic at this point...especially when compared with the art I have seen displayed from other people on the site. I am so much more excited about crochet now that I have become a member of this site.

My goal/resolution this year is to complete at least one baby blanket a month and then be able to donate them to the babies in Winc. NICU at the end of the year...and hopefully I can do this annually. My son was born 3+ months early and those months were spent in 3 different NICU's...the Winc. one being the last of the three. He spent 6 weeks there and the care he received was amazing. The people that work their LOVE what they do and it really shows. Anyway, my heart goes out to these babies and their parents and I feel that although this is small (in comparison), it is something I can do to show support for these families.

So I started my first blanket of the year a couple days ago and so far, so good. I hope I can maintain the pace.