Below are a few pictures of Wyatt in the NICU at 5 weeks -2 months old.
Wyatt in the PICU on ECMO between 1 day-3 weeks old
Thursday, July 31, 2008
TV Show- HOPKINS
Tonight's episode of Hopkins was very sad. Two pediatric patients did not make it and a 3 month old baby was abused. However, it did bring back memories. The NICU was featured in episode 6 and it's where a large chunk of Wyatt's time was spent along with myself and Benji. We formed relationships with the doctor's and nurses since we basically lived there all day long sitting on a chair holding and loving our sedated (most of the time) baby. The Hopkins NICU has about 40 beds. It has four large rooms with about 10 beds in each. Wyatt had the best spot of all! We had the Thompson room which was painted a bright peach, we had a corner spot with a rocking chair and book shelves to hold my stuff, and best of all a window! Wyatt did not have to be in the incubator... he had a nice plush crib with a few mobiles and tons of stuffed animals and signs all over. Hey.. I had to decorate his little home:)) Check out the video clips of Episode 6 which features the NICU which was Wyatt's home for so long and also became ours:)) Also, the video link on Episode 4 shows Dr. Fackler explaining the full context of his controversial statement, "Just let the child die."
Below are a few pictures of Wyatt in the NICU at 5 weeks -2 months old.
Wyatt in the PICU on ECMO between 1 day-3 weeks old
Below are a few pictures of Wyatt in the NICU at 5 weeks -2 months old.
Wyatt in the PICU on ECMO between 1 day-3 weeks old
County Fair Pictures
Our County Fair is an old fashion 4-H fair with out the commercialization. It's the only free fair in our state. Going to the fair this year brings back so many memories of my childhood. I was in 4-H since I was 8 years old and rode horses. Every year, I would show my horse in the fair as well as my dog, cat, and crafts. Our 4-H club would also create a booth and I was required to complete a record book each year. 4-H is where I acquired my leadership skills through public speaking, being President of our club, and Director of 4-H camp. It brings back so many memories of such a happy childhood that I can't wait for Chloe and Wyatt to experience 4-H. I am glad to see our county fair maintain it's small town flavor.
Doctor's visit today
Wyatt and Aunt Danielle Playing
Chloe helping Mom-mom blow out her candles
Wyatt had his review meeting with the nursing staff and our peditrician today. He enjoyed sitting with the grown up's at the meeting and listening. Little did I know, that Wyatt was going to get a check up today too. He was such a big boy and brave because he got four shots today! Wyatt weighs 17lbs, 12oz (with clothes on) and is now in the 10th percentile for weight and 25th percentile for height. Go Wyatt Go!! Wyatt is saying a new word... when asked "What does a sheep say?" he says- "Ba Ba Ba."
Chloe helping Mom-mom blow out her candles
Wyatt had his review meeting with the nursing staff and our peditrician today. He enjoyed sitting with the grown up's at the meeting and listening. Little did I know, that Wyatt was going to get a check up today too. He was such a big boy and brave because he got four shots today! Wyatt weighs 17lbs, 12oz (with clothes on) and is now in the 10th percentile for weight and 25th percentile for height. Go Wyatt Go!! Wyatt is saying a new word... when asked "What does a sheep say?" he says- "Ba Ba Ba."
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
A summer day
If you want to hear a funny story about Sputnik, click on Nanny's blog. The past two days, we have been taking advantage of summer time. Our nurse Susan walked Wyatt to the Raven's training camp yesterday and Wyatt enjoyed watching Matt Stover ?? (I have no clue about football) practice kicking the football. The training camp is held at McDaniel College which is walking distance from our house (a long walk). Today, Chloe went to training camp with my Dad and I think she was more interested in the people than watching football. Then, Whitney and I took Chloe and Wyatt to our County Fair. It was so much fun! Wyatt had the most fun of all! He enjoyed the animals, all the exhibits, watching the cake auction, and watching us eat ice cream. In fact, as Chloe was eating her ice cream he would play with her hair and she did not enjoy that! It was really cute. Wyatt smiled the entire time and Chloe loved it too. It was a late night for both of them... we got home way past their bedtime at 9:30pm. That's ok... it's what summer is all about. I'll post pics tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Happy 60th, Mother (* ^ - ^ *)
We had a nice day together celebrating my mother's birthday. Dinner and lunch out, shopping, and wedding dress shopping for my sister's Nov 1. wedding.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Our Tribute to Sputnik, our cat
This picture was taken before we went to the vet this morning. Chloe was trying to feed Sputnik treats since he was not eating.
This picture was taken in 2006 when we brought Chloe home from the hospital in Aug. 2006.
We are animal lovers. They become part of our family and we teach our kids to be respectful to animals and love them as family members. Today was a sad day in the Koger household. Our beloved family cat, Sputnik passed away. He was so friendly and lovable. Most of them time he was like a dog. He loved to be around people, was very sociable, and very playful. He loved to go for walks and watch birds at the window. Over the weekend we had to rush him to the Animal ER because he did not go to the bathroom and was growling in pain. They flushed his urinary tract and got many crystals out that was obstructing it. He never recovered... on Sunday he laid around all day and did not eat or drink. He urinated twice all over himself resulting in two baths that I had to give him. I took him to the vet when it opened this morning and the options were major surgery that would cost over a thousand dollars and no guarantee it would work, or putting him to sleep. It was a hard decision, because I would pay a thousand dollars for him in a heart beat if we did not have all the money responsibilities that we have now with children. Sputnik went to sleep peacefully in my arms with Chloe beside him at the vet's office. He will always be in our hearts and will always be part of our family. We love you Sputnik:) Sputnik was 6 years old.
This picture was taken in 2006 when we brought Chloe home from the hospital in Aug. 2006.
We are animal lovers. They become part of our family and we teach our kids to be respectful to animals and love them as family members. Today was a sad day in the Koger household. Our beloved family cat, Sputnik passed away. He was so friendly and lovable. Most of them time he was like a dog. He loved to be around people, was very sociable, and very playful. He loved to go for walks and watch birds at the window. Over the weekend we had to rush him to the Animal ER because he did not go to the bathroom and was growling in pain. They flushed his urinary tract and got many crystals out that was obstructing it. He never recovered... on Sunday he laid around all day and did not eat or drink. He urinated twice all over himself resulting in two baths that I had to give him. I took him to the vet when it opened this morning and the options were major surgery that would cost over a thousand dollars and no guarantee it would work, or putting him to sleep. It was a hard decision, because I would pay a thousand dollars for him in a heart beat if we did not have all the money responsibilities that we have now with children. Sputnik went to sleep peacefully in my arms with Chloe beside him at the vet's office. He will always be in our hearts and will always be part of our family. We love you Sputnik:) Sputnik was 6 years old.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
A Day on the Farm!
My friend Whitney has a 30 acre farm with two horses and four cows. Today we ventured out to the farm with Chloe and Wyatt for their first encounter with her animals. Wyatt fell asleep in the car on the way... but I woke him up so that he could meet a REAL cow and horse and not just see them in his storybooks! Chloe had a great weekend in Virginia with her grandparents (Benji's parents). Last night, Chloe returned and at the same time our cat decided to be in great pain... .and it was bed time for the kids!! So our cat went to the Animal ER and it was determined he had crystals in his urine. He is still not fully recovered and has not eaten or gone to the bathroom in a few days.... so off to the vet I will be going with him tomorrow:)) It's been a busy weekend! Thank goodness for help from my mother and Whitney or I would not be able to do it all!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
A Very Special Day...
Today marked a huge milestone for Wyatt. We traveled to Hopkins for a celebration and not for our typical doctors appointment or surgery. It was for the NICU Graduation! Yes... you may think graduating from preschool is early... well Wyatt had his graduation from the NICU today. What a great feeling I had inside of me... it is the first time in nine months that I walked through the hallway of Hopkins for something fun! I can't even describe the feeling in words. I am so proud of my little boy and the fighter he is. It is a great accomplishment to show off my little boy.
We met Jack there, Wyatt's CDH friend and they enjoyed being together throughout the party. We also saw Wyatt's primary nurse, Jackie and his other nurse Cheryl. The lady who cleaned Wyatt's spot at the NICU everyday even came by to visit Wyatt. Dr. Aucott who gave us our tour of the NICU before Wyatt was born, remembered him and talked with us for a little while. Dr. Peyton, who came by to visit me while I was on bed rest in the hospital about 3 weeks before Wyatt was born on Sept. 10th remembered meeting me and recalls our conversation. He even knew Wyatt's pediatrician and remembers conversations that he had with him. Dr. Lawson introduced the oldest NICU graduate present who is about my age and has a child. He also introduced the smallest baby EVER in the NICU. When she was born, she was only about the weight of a soda can. She is in her 20's and is doing great!! We hope next year to catch up with Wyatt's buddy Drew. Drew was at Hopkins, but was unable to attend the party because he had a g-tube surgery. Surgery went really well, and he will probably get to go home tomorrow. Drew will have a chance to party next year!! It was a wonderful day and I am so proud of Wyatt. For more details, click on Jack's Blog.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Chloe Day Today!
Today Chloe and I spent the day together. First we took a walk through the neighborhood. Then we visited Daddy at work, then we went to the petting zoo at Baughers. We were the only people there and it was so nice! Chloe saw a cow, emu, goats, donkeys, pigs, kittens, chickens, and peacocks. I think her favorite were the chickens. Then we had lunch at McDonalds and Chloe got to play on the playground. We came home, and I think we wore her out, because she slept for 3 hours which she never sleeps that long. Later in the evening she went with Daddy to the grocery store.
I also had fun playing with Wyatt in between our activities with Chloe. Wyatt also had a physical therapy session today and had some tummy time, which he did not like and practiced sitting up.
I also had fun playing with Wyatt in between our activities with Chloe. Wyatt also had a physical therapy session today and had some tummy time, which he did not like and practiced sitting up.
CDH babies needing your prayers
Two CDH babies need your prayers... Baby Sofie had a reherniation and will be having surgery tonight. Baby Zachary who was born shortly after Wyatt in late October is hospitalized because of a head bleed. You can read his story by going to carepages.com and typing in zacharydavis. Finally, Wyatt's friend Jack has several allergies, one being milk and nuts. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Fun with Family and Friends
Today my parents came over for an impromptu cook-out and then we decided to take both kids to 6pm mass. I want to share another normal problem that I was so happy we had.... get ready for this one... Wyatt was really happy in church, so he decided to babble and play with his noisy toy. He was the loudest person in church! Can you imagine?? We need to celebrate this... because he went from having a damaged vocal cord having no voice to being the loudest in church! I had the happiest feeling:) Chloe on the other hand was fairly good... but very active, I am so glad to have my parents to help me out!!
Our friends, Maria, Joe and their kids Dan and Grace sat with us, so afterwards we invited them over for dessert at our house. Chloe had a great time playing with Dan and Grace and Wyatt enjoyed sleeping. He sure is a routine baby... no matter what is going on (like a party in the family room), he will fall asleep for the night around 7:30pm.
It was a great weekend full of friends, family, and laughter:)
Our friends, Maria, Joe and their kids Dan and Grace sat with us, so afterwards we invited them over for dessert at our house. Chloe had a great time playing with Dan and Grace and Wyatt enjoyed sleeping. He sure is a routine baby... no matter what is going on (like a party in the family room), he will fall asleep for the night around 7:30pm.
It was a great weekend full of friends, family, and laughter:)
Am I cute or what?
I just love bath time or at least when my mommy bundles me in a soft towel and then rubs lotion all over my body:) ~ Wyatt
www.humanityfirst.org
One of Wyatt's main surgeons, Dr. Fizan Abdullah travels to Ghana every August with a team of doctor's from Hopkins and their mission is to do free surgeries to children. Dr. Abdullah will be leaving soon for their mission and he gave me this website to explore- Click here to read a short diary entry of the experience from last year-
After reading it... it makes you appreciate the health care in the United States and the excellent care that is available to us.
After reading it... it makes you appreciate the health care in the United States and the excellent care that is available to us.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
The Weekend
We have been enjoying a lot of family time during the past couple of days. On Thursday night, I took Chloe to our local library to see "Don't Bug Me." She loved the musical program and she learned all about insects as well. Chloe is about to turn two and it's such a great age! I can have conversations with her since she is speaking in sentences now, she says her ABC's, she counts to 10, she occasionally goes on the potty, and she loves to listen to stories and understands them as well, and loves to attend special programs/events around town. I am having so much fun with her! She is moving from babyhood to becoming a little girl. She loves to wear my jewelry, put on my shoes, and does not like to be messy:)) Such a girly girl! This past week, we had such a "normal" problem that I was so happy and wanted to throw a party! Wyatt and Chloe were sitting next to each other and Chloe hit (gently tapped) Wyatt on his shoulder and he began to cry. So Chloe had to apologize to Wyatt for hitting him. It was there first real brother/sister fight. It felt really good to have a normal problem.
Wyatt's personality is really coming out as well. Since he encountered so many "strangers" from being in the hospital for so long, I thought he would not develop stranger anxiety. However, Wyatt is so sensitive and sometimes shy around people... it's too cute:)) Whenever Chloe cries, so does Wyatt. Whenever an unfamiliar person talks to Wyatt, he gets a scared look on his face, looks at me, and then cries.... and the cutest thing of all... my friend's mother came over to visit and I was holding Wyatt. When she talked to Wyatt, he nuzzled his head into my chest because he was so bashful! Why is this cute to me? Because Wyatt has a sense of family and knows that he belongs to us:)) Wyatt is also imitating us. Whenever we wave hello or goodby to him, he waves back to us and smiles. Whenever I shake my head "no," he does the same and laughs. Tummy time is a struggle and so is eating. We are making small baby step progress.
Today my college friend Stacy traveled from northern Virginia to visit with her two kids, Kaityln, who is four and Connor, who is 3 months old. They are adorable kids. Stacy, Whitney, and my other friend Laura and myself were all Hall Directors at Lynchburg College together and we still continue to get together throughout the year and keep in touch. Gone are days of sitting around and gossiping while drinking a glass of wine! We were all chasing kids all day, holding babies, teaching the lesson of sharing, while of course... drinking (less than one glass) of wine and gossiping, and eating our lunch in shifts! Things sure have changed! But for the better:)
Last Thursday I watched the show Hopkins and it brings back so many memories of the early days with Wyatt. Two of Wyatt's doctors were featured on the show with the segment of the baby that had an enlarged heart and needed a heart transplant- Dr. Berkowitz who put Wyatt on ECMO and was my "mentor" when it came to Wyatt's care and decisions that had to be made, and the other Dr. Fackler, who was very instrumental in getting Wyatt off ECMO. Dr. Fackler is a genius and experimented with different ways to wean Wyatt off ECMO since the traditional way was not working as planned. It worked and I owe it all to him! I remember that I even had a question for Dr. Fackler one day and he left to go home before I got to talk to him. As he was walking out to his car in the parking garage, he called me and talked to me and answered all my questions... after his long day of working in the stressful PICU, he remembered that I wanted to talk to him. In the Hopkin's show I was a little surprised when the doctors were talking about what to do for the baby with the enlarged heart and he said, "let the child die." The doctor's disagreed because the test results had not come back yet. In the end, the child did get a heart transplant and survived. Now I am sure there is more to the story and TV just shows you a tiny clip, but I was surprised Dr. Fackler said this comment because he tried everything possible for Wyatt's recovery. I remember during Wyatt's last surgery, Dr. Fackler was his anesthesiologist and he walked in the operating room saying, "let's get this show on the road and knock this kid out!" I laughed because I knew he was joking... I am hoping that Dr. Fackler did not mean to say "let the child die" and there is more to the story... in his defense:) Click here for more about the episode. One thing I do like about Hopkins is that there are so many doctors from different services caring for your child that when a major decision needs to be made, usually there is a discussion with other colleagues and sometimes disagreements, but hopefully in the end, the right decision is made. I remember the night after Wyatt's surgery, Wyatt was extremely fragile and was bleeding alot. The surgeons, Dr. A and Dr. C and the attending physician stayed by Wyatt's side because later I was told, they didn't think he would make it through the night. We got to witness a powerful discussion between brilliant doctors about whether to give Wyatt Factor 7, the blood clotting drug often used in Iraq. The two doctors read research articles on the web, discussed the dosage, etc... all by Wyatt's side while we sat in the background just watching them do everything possible to save our little baby in the wee hours of the night.... that's what I love about Hopkins.... eventhough it's a big hospital and you can get lost in the mix, it also seems very grounded and there are many times the "team" meets before any major decesion occurs. This can be good or bad... but hopefully more good comes from it.
Other CDH babies- I was not following this story (I just discovered it) but another CDH baby passed away- Daniel, a beautiful little boy who was born in December. Our thoughts and prayers are with their family. On Jack's blog, his mom Vicki reminded us all that the survival rate of CDH is around 50%. Babies that survive CDH are miracles... It's a little know condition that needs more awareness and research. Skyla's page also has a nice tribute to Daniel.
Also, it looks like Sofia reherniated. Her parents picked up on the signs fairly quickly and Sofia will be getting repaired shortly after they find out more from the CT scan on Monday. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Miller family as well.
A small world- This blog can be very powerful and I am so happy that I created it. A mom from Canada left a comment saying that she had a son born with CDH in Nov. 2007 and he is doing very well... his name is Wyatt too! I will be e-mailing her soon... but I hear Chloe calling me now so I am signing off!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Daddy.... the Magic Man!
Wyatt at the Peter Rabbit Puppet Show
Chloe in Mommy's Shoes... she is such a big girl!
Wyatt joining us for dinner.
Chloe in Daddy's Shoes!
Last night we took both kids to see a puppet show about Peter Rabbit at our local library. Wyatt was smiling and really enjoyed it, until 7:30pm, his bedtime. He is such a routine baby, that he feel asleep! He went from enjoying the show to sleeping in just a short time. We stayed until the end, since Chloe was having fun.
Benji attempted to give Wyatt Carrots last night. It was the first time I saw Wyatt smiling during feeding time. Daddy is a magic man!! Wyatt didn't gag and seemed to think that eating carrots was fun! Now it was a tiny bit, but he is making progress.
Wyatt is also sitting up better in the Bumbo chair and is tolerating it for longer periods of time. Tummy time is working!
Today, Wyatt spit up dark brown blood several times and had a low grade fever. We gave him Tylenol and put him on pedialyte for a few hours. He seemed to be feeling better by bedtime, but I really want to find the cause of this and fix it!
Finally Chloe is so cute! She loves to wear my shoes or Benji's shoes around the house and pretend that she is a big girl! See above pics.
Chloe in Mommy's Shoes... she is such a big girl!
Wyatt joining us for dinner.
Chloe in Daddy's Shoes!
Last night we took both kids to see a puppet show about Peter Rabbit at our local library. Wyatt was smiling and really enjoyed it, until 7:30pm, his bedtime. He is such a routine baby, that he feel asleep! He went from enjoying the show to sleeping in just a short time. We stayed until the end, since Chloe was having fun.
Benji attempted to give Wyatt Carrots last night. It was the first time I saw Wyatt smiling during feeding time. Daddy is a magic man!! Wyatt didn't gag and seemed to think that eating carrots was fun! Now it was a tiny bit, but he is making progress.
Wyatt is also sitting up better in the Bumbo chair and is tolerating it for longer periods of time. Tummy time is working!
Today, Wyatt spit up dark brown blood several times and had a low grade fever. We gave him Tylenol and put him on pedialyte for a few hours. He seemed to be feeling better by bedtime, but I really want to find the cause of this and fix it!
Finally Chloe is so cute! She loves to wear my shoes or Benji's shoes around the house and pretend that she is a big girl! See above pics.
Angel Wings
Baby Seth decided to have angel wings last night. It is always heartbreaking to hear of a family who lost their child, especially to CDH. April and Russell experienced the lost of their daughter Zoe at age 2 and now Baby Seth. Why do these things happen? I believe that God only gives you what you can handle, and April and Russell must be really strong. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. Check out their carepage to leave any words of support.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
The Weekend
Baby Seth is still in a very critical state. It sounds like the prayers are working, so please keep them coming!! Check out his carepage for more details.
We are having a good weekend so far. I was home all day on Friday with both kids and really enjoyed it! My friend Whitney and I took the kids to the snowball stand and we played for the rest of the day. We also went to my neighbor's house to play in her baby pool. When I dipped Wyatt's feet in, he was not too fond of it. It was nap time for Chloe so she wasn't happy either... We'll try again next time:))
Today I took Chloe to the Verizon store for 2 1/2 hours (fun! fun!) to buy a new phone since my phone battery is no longer working. Wyatt had some great bonding time with his Dad. We are trying hard to work on Wyatt's development, so we had some tummy time today and did some oral exercises. Wyatt is not fond of either and we realized that we have a long road ahead of us. I just wish he would like to eat!! When Wyatt left the hospital, his oxygen was on 1/8 liter, now he is between 1/4 and 1/2 liter. I am planning on calling our pulmonary doctor on Monday to find out what we can do about his collapsed left lung and fluid.
While I was at Wal Mart today, I bumped into our friends Amy and Jobe. They have two girls who we shared our nanny with- Lily and Molly (we miss you nanny!!) I invited them over for a cook-out tonight. The girls had a great time together!! We had a great time too, drinking Benji's home brew!! Wyatt loved having all the attention from the girls too. The pictures are from our cook-out.
Our night nurse just called out sick, so it's Benji's turn to sleep downstairs tonight... I hope Wyatt sleeps through the night like he usually does:))
We are having a good weekend so far. I was home all day on Friday with both kids and really enjoyed it! My friend Whitney and I took the kids to the snowball stand and we played for the rest of the day. We also went to my neighbor's house to play in her baby pool. When I dipped Wyatt's feet in, he was not too fond of it. It was nap time for Chloe so she wasn't happy either... We'll try again next time:))
Today I took Chloe to the Verizon store for 2 1/2 hours (fun! fun!) to buy a new phone since my phone battery is no longer working. Wyatt had some great bonding time with his Dad. We are trying hard to work on Wyatt's development, so we had some tummy time today and did some oral exercises. Wyatt is not fond of either and we realized that we have a long road ahead of us. I just wish he would like to eat!! When Wyatt left the hospital, his oxygen was on 1/8 liter, now he is between 1/4 and 1/2 liter. I am planning on calling our pulmonary doctor on Monday to find out what we can do about his collapsed left lung and fluid.
While I was at Wal Mart today, I bumped into our friends Amy and Jobe. They have two girls who we shared our nanny with- Lily and Molly (we miss you nanny!!) I invited them over for a cook-out tonight. The girls had a great time together!! We had a great time too, drinking Benji's home brew!! Wyatt loved having all the attention from the girls too. The pictures are from our cook-out.
Our night nurse just called out sick, so it's Benji's turn to sleep downstairs tonight... I hope Wyatt sleeps through the night like he usually does:))
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Another CDH baby needs your prayers
The power of a blog is amazing... I never thought I would make so many connections with people around the world and have so much support for Wyatt and other CDH babies. The purpose of this blog is to educate others about CDH, but to also have as many supporters to pray for these little babies as possible. Well.. another baby needs your prayers. Baby Seth is on ECMO and the doctors are doing everything they can for him. Read Baby Seth's carepage for more info.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Happy 86th Birthday, Grandmom!!
Grandmom makes a wish on her 86th birthday:
Chloe patiently waits alone for dinner:
Chloe sipping wine: b(just kidding.. it's really water)
Wyatt and his dad:
Chloe pre-lemon:
Chloe post-lemon:
Chloe with Mom:
Danielle and Wyatt:
Duncan sleeping:
Cool girl:
Duncan and Wyatt:
A great day celebrating Grandmom's birthday. She still has so much energy that we catch her climbing trees just to trim them!! Grandmom is an immigrant from Italy... she sailed on a boat with my grandfather and father (he was 3) when she was 28 years old... leaving behind her parents and three sisters. They wanted a new and exciting life in America. They came over with a huge chest and $200 and are living the American Dream. Life was not easy... my grandfather and grandmother worked hard in factories until they retired and saved almost every penny. They traveled to Italy to visit their family a few times over the past 28 years. Cheers to Grandmom... have a great birthday and still continue to act young!!!
Chloe patiently waits alone for dinner:
Chloe sipping wine: b(just kidding.. it's really water)
Wyatt and his dad:
Chloe pre-lemon:
Chloe post-lemon:
Chloe with Mom:
Danielle and Wyatt:
Duncan sleeping:
Cool girl:
Duncan and Wyatt:
A great day celebrating Grandmom's birthday. She still has so much energy that we catch her climbing trees just to trim them!! Grandmom is an immigrant from Italy... she sailed on a boat with my grandfather and father (he was 3) when she was 28 years old... leaving behind her parents and three sisters. They wanted a new and exciting life in America. They came over with a huge chest and $200 and are living the American Dream. Life was not easy... my grandfather and grandmother worked hard in factories until they retired and saved almost every penny. They traveled to Italy to visit their family a few times over the past 28 years. Cheers to Grandmom... have a great birthday and still continue to act young!!!
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