Colby, Grady & I on the airplane - we look like we got up at 2:30 am!

Colby feeding the fish at a local nursery.

Colby with his cousin Brooke.

I am so sorry that I haven't posted for so long. We have been BUSY! We made it out to my sister's in Oklahoma - which is where I am right now. It's me & the boys & my mom. I am so glad that my mom decided to come. The flight out was good, but I don't know how I would have managed with 2 little ones by myself. Both boys did well on the flight - no problems with their ears or anything. Colby was so funny when we left. He was kind of grumpy & tired of waiting (we had gotten up at 2:30 am) so when the plane finally took off, he said real loud "Now this is what I'm talking about!" Everyone around us was laughing.

We have mostly been hanging out at my sister's house & taking it easy. She has 4 kids, so Colby is having a ball playing with them. I am afraid that when we get home he will be bored! I am missing having Ken to help with Grady. My mom & sister help during the day, but Ken usually gets up for the early morning feeding & I am really starting to feel worn out from the lack of sleep. The last 2 mornings I have gone back to bed for a couple hours after mom is up to watch Grady. Tomorrow we plan on heading to Tulsa for a day of shopping. The boys will stay with my sister's husband and mother-in-law. I am really looking forward to it.

Oh - I almost forgot - Colby had his kindergarten screening on the Thursday before we left. He did so good! We got the letter saying that he is ready to go (he turns 5 on July 14). He is very excited. He will be in the Monday, Wednesday every other Friday class. I can't believe he will be going to school this fall! I can't wait to take him to get his school supplies - he will be so proud.

We did make it to church on Sunday & we had a great time. We are looking forward to returning on a regular basis.

We had a bit of a scare on Tuesday. Ken fell approx. 15 - 20 feet at work. He landed on his back. He was taken by ambulance to the ER where they did a CAT scan on his back & found that nothing was broken. He is very sore and will be off of work for a few days. We are so thankful that he was not hurt more seriously. He could have been paralyzed or even killed. God was definitely watching over him!

Grady has been more fussy than normal the last couple of days. We thought maybe he is teething (he is also drooling more) but we have not found any bumps on his gums yet. He is still getting up quite a bit a night. It seems he is not eating enough at one time to get him thru the night. Ugh!

Grady & Isaac

Hannah, Mariah & Colby

Grady eating cereal.

Our friends from RMH, Jason, Tiffany, Hannah and Isaac, are in this weekend to finalize Isaac's adoption. They had some free time so they came to visit at our house & then we all went out to eat along with my sister's family. It is so exciting to see how Isaac is growing and developing. Essentially, Grady & Isaac are the same age (they were both due in early November) even though Isaac was born in July & Grady was born in September. We had a lot of fun watching them "play" and comparing notes on things that we notice developmentally and things that we are concerned about. We also enjoyed reminiscing about life at RMH and all the interesting families we met at the house. It was probably one of the hardest times in our lives and yet we have so many good memories of the house and the people we met there.

Unfortunately, Grady did not continue with sleeping thru the night. He has been getting up around 2:00 or 3:00 each night. It is a little frustrating. I was really hoping the cereal would keep him full until morning.

We are still planning on going to church for the first time tomorrow. We are really looking forward to it. Today was Ken's birthday so it will be a nice present to get to go to church tomorrow.

Thank you to Bonnie Swartzentruber for getting me the information I need to hopefully get Grady therapy in our county. The wheels are finally in motion!

Colby folded all these towels by himself - he was so proud!

Grady slept thru the night twice in a row & then last night he got up at 3:30 am. I was gone last evening so Ken didn't want to feed him baby food & gave him a bottle instead at his 6:00 feeding. I am really curious if that is why he didn't sleep as long. I am definitely going to watch & see if it makes a difference.

Grady has also been sleeping a lot during the day (I guess I don't really know how much he should be sleeping). With transpant babies, small things like sleeping too much or being lethargic can be cause for concern (sign of rejection). Right now, I don't think it's anything except me being paranoid, but I am definitely going to keep a close eye on him. Otherwise, he is really starting to seem like a "normal" baby. He is reaching for toys on his little gym and is cooing and smiling a lot more.

Grady eating cereal.

Grady slept from 8:30 pm to 5:30 am last night. We are keeping our fingers crossed that he will keep it up. Mom & Dad really need some sleep!

I don't think Grady is very excited about his silly hat.

Grady had an appointment this morning to follow up with the pediatrician after his bout with RSV. His weight is at 11 lbs. 14 oz. - not a huge change, but not terrible considering that for a week he couldn't keep formula down & was on iv feeds & Pedialyte. The doctor would like to see him gain weight faster so I am supposed to start feeding him rice cereal mixed with fruit (baby food) twice a day. I tried today & it is almost impossible. He just sticks his tongue out & pushes everything out. I can't even really get him to open his mouth wide - hopefully he catches on quick - I think we were both getting frustrated.

We are still having some issues with him sleeping at night & we are trying some of your suggestions, so thanks for the advice. The doctor did say that at this point if he wakes up hungry, he really does need the extra calories, so we can't just let him cry it out.

Our doctor is also working on getting a therapist to come to our house to work with him. We've been a little frustrated with this issue. When we left rehab in Cleveland, they were supposed to set us up & nothing ever came of it. We finally found out after our insurance company called rehab that they were having trouble finding someone to come out. Hopefully our local pediatrician can figure something out. She feels that he is doing well, developmentally, right now, but she doesn't want him to fall behind. Please pray that they can find someone to come to the house. I really don't want to have to take him somewhere once or twice a week for therapy on top of all of his other appointments.

Also, Tiffany (a friend that I met at RMH) is having some concerns about her little Isaac. Isaac was born VERY premature & they are worried about some developmental issues. You can read more about them here.

Thanks so much to all of you for following our story & all the encouraging posts. We are hoping to go to church with Grady this Sunday for the first time. We were going to go the week after Easter & then Grady got sick - so keep your fingers crossed. We are so excited to go back!

Grady trying out his Bumbo chair.

Grady checking out his new toy from Jolie & Roy.

Colby & Molly

I let Colby take a bath with Molly the other day. It was going fine until Ken stopped in & Molly jumped out of the tub to see him.

It seems like Grady is feeling better every day. He still has a little bit of a cough & sounds a little congested, but overall he has definitely improved. I'm starting to get a little frustrated that he is not sleeping thru the night. Colby started sleeping thru the night at 8 weeks & while I didn't expect that from Grady, I was hoping that by now he would be. I know that he can do it because he did twice in a row - just to tease us! Does anyone have any advice? Do we just need to let him cry? He has an appointment with the pediatrician on Monday & I will definitely be asking her.

I think Colby is finally over his cold & Ken and I are over the worst of ours. We are still a little congested but feeling much better. I am looking forward to warm weather!