Friday, July 16, 2010

Love, loss...cheese crackers and the longest post ever.

As most of you probably already know, we lost our baby girl, Corinne. We had a beautiful service and I'm glad we did. Z will have a place to visit his sister when he is old enough to understand.

Corinne - you are a part of our family forever and always. A moment in our arms, forever in our heart. May 21, 2010.
A dear friend started a March of Dimes page for her...I am so in awe of how wonderful my friends are sometimes...over $1100 raised to fight prematurity...

I thought long and hard about this blog post because part of me wanted to skip over the last couple months...this is Zack's blog...but the truth is that this weighed heavily on our family and still does. Zack included. He really is a tough awesome kid, though...he fared 6 days without me and did a great job for Kevin. He visited me in the hospital every night...the first night was tough as he didn't realize it wasn't about HIM...once he found nurses to blow up latex glove balloons and he was thrilled. Kevin was also an amazing single dad...I couldn't ask for a better family. Thank you to everyone who visited me, sent cards, helped out with Z...it meant more than you know. You are true friends.

The positive side of things is that Z made some great strides with eating. I'm happy to report that my kid is a snacker...he SNACKS...sits in his chair munching away on cheese crackers looking all normal...it's pretty neat. We're still working on an actual meal, but he has come SO far...a few months ago we were still covered in puke...now we are generally puke free and he CAN eat. We are still getting past mental blocks and behavioral issues, but we are making forward progress. Z sits with us at dinner and several nights in a row has actually consumed most of what was on his plate. (pickle slices, cheese, and a couple ritz)..come on now...that's ALMOST a meal!!! He's so proud to show me he's actually swallowed...see the video below...


Most people think I'm nuts, but my fellow moms of non eaters know what a HUGE accomplishment this is...no pomp, no circumstance...just cheese crackers.

We also made a river trip with our friends Tiffany, Paul, Sierra and Connor over the Fourth of July and had a wonderful time...here are some pictures...







Lastly, Z had his friend Christian over to play. They had a blast!! Swimming, coloring, playing their instruments and generally tearing it up! Enjoy some pictures...

There's more...I'm so far behind, but I had to get this post done. Moving on isn't quite what we've done, but we're not standing still either. Zack would never allow it...and I thank him for that.
Thank you again for all your support...
xo
Kevin, Janet and Zack

Saturday, April 24, 2010

March of Dimes Walk 2010

Sorry for two posts so close together, but Z is asleep and I need to take advantage of that!! Today was our second annual March of Dimes walk. Team Zack Attack was well represented! Thank you SO MUCH to those of you who donated. Walking through the crowd and seeing all of the preemie kids who are thriving thanks to the support of the MOD makes it all so worthwhile! We raised over $2600 and had so much fun at the same time. here are a few pictures...the rest can be seen on my Facebook page.



Baby sister...no mama...no sister!

That is the response I got when I told Z he was going to have a sister...I'll have to work on that attitude since there's not much he can do to avoid it at this point. In any event, we're excited! We will have a little girl joining us in September (and not a minute sooner). Here's her first couple of close ups...many many many many more to come!!! :)


Monday, February 15, 2010

it's been awhile!!

Hello all, I thought I'd take advantage of this lovely President's Day to update the blog...Facebook has become so popular that I've really let this lag. Anyway...here's the important stuff. The puking has all but stopped...does he still puke...sure! Once in a while, but it's TOTALLY manageable. In fact, I'm actually afraid to type this for fear of jinxing anything. Back in the middle of 2009 he was still puking 150 times a month...now we're in single digits! I'll take that anyday. We're off almost all meds and he's doing great.

Feeding is a completely different issue. He's still scared to eat and he just doesn't have the skills he needs...all those things that are a natural progression for most children just never happened for Zack because he was too busy vomiting. Food has made him so uncomfortable for 2 years that NOT eating is just easier. I'm happy to report that he's definitely a little more experimental, but it's incredibly slow progress. We're working hard on that front.

In general, however, life has been so much better for all of us in a short time...We can take Zack places without 8 changes of clothing and 10 towels...I don't feed him holding a bowl anymore...the stress level is way down...all welcome changes. We hope to only see him progress from here.

On the FUN side, Z is smart and funny and is SUCH a happy kid. He loves people and his friends. he loves school and being outside. He's a joy to everyone around him. Here are some pictures from his recent adventures.

Thanksgiving at Aunt Sharley's house:

Having a blast


Playing with Aunt Kim.

Christmas morning at home and afternoon at Aunt Sharley's:
(notice the pointed toes...I'm so proud!)











New Year's Day...a walk in the park with Storm:




Thanks for reading! Here's to a burger in 2010!!!!