June 14, 2009
· Filed under Uncategorized
May 28, 2009
· Filed under Uncategorized
Gee how does this happen so fast? The years are whizzing by and I feel like I am missing it all yet I am right here watching it all happen.
Monet is such a bright girl and a little sponge soaking up every tidbit you throw at her, whether you want her to or not. She has been a wonderful addition to our family and fits us so perfectly. I’m still not sure how I ended up with a SUPER Girlie Girl, but I have to admit it is fun getting her all primped most days.
She likes dance class (her first recital is next week) and helping her brother and cousin Jaycee at anything they have planned. She has one oft he most giving and loving hearts and tough enough to stand up to her ALL BOY brother.
We have blessed with two very beautiful children and I know they will become someone remarkable however I just wish it wouldn’t happen so quickly.
May 25, 2009
· Filed under Uncategorized
Derek turned 5 years old yesterday. I cannot convey how amazed I am by him. He has lived the life of some one 15 times older and yet his spirit is still young and unbroken like any other child his age, which is what we had hoped for when we decided on a kidney transplant as Derek’s treatment for his renal failure.
Yesterday we hada HUGE birthday party to celebrate both Derek’s & Monet’s birthdays. We had a house full of people and I think the kids had a great time, they slept in this morning which is alwasy a good sign. Today I am slowly picking up and trying to find a new home for thier gifts, I think next year we need to stop the gift exchange though because am completely overwhelmed. (I’ll post pictures in the next day or so once I get our house back together.)
I can’t get my head around Derek being 5, I still see and feel him as the cuddly baby who would snuggle into the crook of my neck and fall soundly asleep. He is still the cuddliest little guy and he has love for life, curious and extremely intelligent. He has overcome so much in these 5 years that I hope the rest of his life is smooth and enjoyable filled with health and NORMAL. Maybe once I start waking up I can write all that is in my heart but I don’t think words can even wrap around 1/2 of the feelings I have for “my baby boy.”
May 3, 2009
· Filed under Uncategorized
Yesterday was a great day at T-Ball for Derek, I am just so proud. Derek and I are connected at the hip when together and yesterday he was able to be at a distance from me. He usually plays infield with me standing behind him and helping coach him and a couple other boys…but yesterday he played short stop as I stood over by 1st base. He got into 2 tangles for the ball, ran around the field chasing the ball and hit it a good distance to run the bases. It was so nice to see him smile, play ball for the pure enjoyment and not hang all over me. I know it may not sound like much but I was proud VERY proud to see him take another big step forward…yes I miss my baby boy but I love to watch him acheive and grow.
April 28, 2009
· Filed under Education/School, Family, Fun Times, Normal Stuff, Outings
So I started a new project this year it took me nearly 2 months to complete, it was “for the children.” But really I think it was for me. 
It is a garden nothing huge like the one I grew up with in Nebraska but good sized by city standards 30′x8′ and 12″ high. After I spent 2 days moving rock out of the way and determining the footprint of the garden. Papa & I trenched sprinkler lines over to the new bed and will be setting up a timer soon. He also helped me move 1.5 tons of castle wall block to build a retaining wall. Steve set 99% of the block initially, which had to be moved around for the next step so it isn’t as perfect as when he started. Then we had just over 1 whole dump truck load of soil brought in to back fill it, and thanks to good neighbors 
we had the dirt moved from the driveway and into the planter in about 7 hours (thanks Tim & Josh we will be sending over some goodies if this thing grows.) Finally I leveled the bed and Steve & I added and mixed in some organic mulched soil for some extra nutrients and water retention. We finally planted on April 21, our 8th Wedding Anniversary (we are so romantic, aren’t we?) Yesterday I saw our seeds coming up; spinach, lettuce, sunflowers & corn. We still are waiting for pumpkin, squash, watermelon, onions, 
carrots, chives and beans to make their initial appearance. I also planted live plants because it is getting so hot here already, so our tomatoes, sweet peppers, jalapeno peppers and strawberries are growing and seem to be getting well established. One plant(s) looks like it is the favorite of an outdoor creature. Our little cucumber plants are being gnawed right down to the ground. My natural pest control methods aren’t working for it thus far but we will keep trying before we bust out the “BIG GUNS.” I hope the kids learn to appreciate the importance 
of farming and gardening as well as a growing love for fruits and vegetables…I am so excited for our winter crop already, but that will be a post for when the tem
ps drop well below 100F.
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Update April 30, 2009 – As of this morning a couple of all the plants have finally broken up through the soil and look to be taking off. We are all so excited about having fresh fruits and veggies this summer and learning all about plant life.
March 18, 2009
· Filed under Friends, Fun Times, Health, Normal Stuff, Outings, Transplants, special needs children
when all we worried about was Derek’s growth and how big he was. Nearly every doctor appointment had a relatively large focus on the Growth Chart. BTW I hate the growth chart and think that to some degree it is a stupid, focusing on a said standard for children. I know it is a tool for physicians but some days I dreaded the blue and white table yet dreamed of a day where he would fit on it just perfectly. Derek was born towards the top of the growth chart 8 pounds 12 ounces and 22 inches long…Great Big Bouncing Baby Boy!!! The chaos hit and he quickly slid down and eventually completely off the growth chart. Now, 18 months post transplant, Derek is at the 70% and it meant nothing to us until recently when we saw him with his T-ball team…he is the BIG KID!!! I still have a serious hate for the Growth Chart but at least both of my kids are on it.
Derek is wearing the red shirt and white pants in the center of the photo
March 15, 2009
· Filed under Education/School, Family, Friends, Fun Times, Normal Stuff, Outings, Uncategorized
Other than the doctor appointments (4 on Wednesday) we have been a pretty normal family. Derek just had his second T-ball practice and I have to admit that he is doing pretty darn good. He is very shy but by the end of this week’s practice he really started to warm up and participate. There are only 7-8 kids on his team ‘The Angels’ (how fitting?) So it should be interesting how they do at their first game on March 28. I’ll post a few pictures soon.
Monet is still in dance classes but has lost some of her excitement for it. We will get her through the show on June 6, take the summer off and see if she wants to start back in the fall. Again more pics to come.
We registered Derek for Kindergarten & spoke with the guidance couselor about coming in seeing the teachers’ classrooms to pick an environment we think will suit him best. That way he can meet the teacher a few times before school starts.
I can’t believe life is normal finally, we don’t rush weekly to doctors, we don’t worry about feeding machines or lack of development due to malnourishment, we mostly worry about all the stuff the rest of you parents worry about and I am happy about that. It is nice to beable to take a big deep breath and not feel TONS of pressure on my shoulders day in and day out.
February 24, 2009
· Filed under Uncategorized
A couple of weeks ago we had a meeting with all of Derek’s therapists and teachers at the preschool and they were concerned about his sight and he might need glasses. My heart sank, “hasn’t this kid had enough to deal with, let’s not put another piece of equipment on the poor kid PLEASE!!!” But I did what I needed to and came home to call his doctor. Derek is supposed to be followed closely anyways because of his immune suppression that can cause eye problems such as glaucoma and cataracts.He had his appointment yesterday afternoon during Derek’s typical “rest/nap time.” Derek was awesome for having an appointment during this time AND having his eyes dilated. The greatest part…he does not need glasses! WHOOPPEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Even though he is bummed because he thinks glasses are cool and he loves wearing sunglasses I am happy that we don’t have to contend with real glasses right now.
We are all battling a stinking cold right now that has made us pretty miserable. Derek got the worst of it last week, he missed 2 days of school and it caused one of the tubes in his ear to be flushed out. Let’s hope it was in long enough and he doesn’t need them placed again. Monet already had her tubes fall out and we are hoping that when we see the doc in March he determines she doesn’t need them again as well. Anyways things in all are good on the home-front. I hope to post pictures of one of our latest excursions this week.
January 30, 2009
· Filed under Health, Transplants, children with transplants, special needs children
Well we have been doing pretty good lately until last week when we got a call about Derek’s most recent blood work. His kidney function dropped a bit and we aren’t sure why. There are several factors that can be attributed to this: dehydration, time of day he had his blood drawn, onset of an illness (some viruses can cause a slight drop in kidney function) or the dread rejection/transplant failure. Regardless it is scary stuff and we won’t have a real answer after rerunning his blood work again on Monday morning. He seems to be feeling ok, though we are having some emotional trouble with dropping him off atpreschool. Hopefully it will all pass soon and we can plug along on our “Normal Road.” But if you have a prayer or two to spare please send them up for Derek in that he is healthy and safe, we could a little more reassurance on this one.
Well things look to be better. Derek’s numbers are stabilizing and going back to “his normal” so we will assume this was a hit from dehydration and the cold bug that has been floating in and out of householdsaround here. “WHEW!!!” Thanks for all fo you prayers and good thoughts as we muddled through this little event.
Derek is very physical and loves to role play his father and papa all day long. Monet however is super verbal with an ability to talk about anything constantly and follows her brother around to do some of his dirty work and tell the story of what happens. I love to listen and watch them, since they don’t invite me to play anymore yet I am involved constantly redirecting them to a new project that does not contain water or soap, it seems Play-Doh has lost much of its luster lately.
The boys were so excited to get a chance to field the ball and throw it to first that they all rushed it at once. Derek seems to have some natural talent and enjoys playing so we will encourage this for as long as we can and if he continues GREAT but if not we will have to find something new.
