Happy Birthday Wyatt!! I am so proud of you!

Tonight we had a quiet evening home with just us... Wyatt enjoyed ice cream covered in chocolate. We sang Happy Birthday and he tried so hard to blow out his candle (we helped him)... tomorrow the festivities begin!!

Happy Wyatt!


Blowing out my candle-


Trying so hard to blow it out!! getting closer to it!


Yummy!


Read about Wyatt's First Birthday and party. Oct. 2008 Read about Wyatt's Birth- Oct. 2007 and a heartfelt message from my sister- oct. 2007

On October 15, 2007 my sister Danielle wrote this message to the world-

In three to ten days, it is hoped that the ECMO machine can be reduced and Wyatt can undergo surgery to put his organs back in place. After that, he is projected to stay in the NICU unit for about a month. He is blessed to have access to this machine (there are only three in Maryland), he is blessed to be born strong at 8lbs 2 oz, he is blessed to be beating the odds, and he is blessed to have such an optimistic mother that has been preparing him for the fight while he was inside of her. It's as though sometimes God rewards us by letting us see his work one small, slow-paced step at a time. It'll be a long road ahead, but Wyatt emailed me the other day telling me that he is confident that he will make it through. His P.S. was wondering if I could ask everyone I know to pray for him.

It sure was (is) a long road! We could not see into the future, all we could do was pray and hope for the best. Little did we know at that time, Wyatt stayed on ECMO for 13 days and had what I heard from the surgeon later that Wyatt had the most severe, livable defect. Little did we know at that time he stayed in the hospital for five months, not one month. Little did we know that he endured a head bleed to an IVH grade four and needed a shunt. Little did we know that his right vocal cord was paralyzed and he needed a g-tube since he was unable to swallow. Little did we know he would re-herniate three more times, have a bowel obstruction, 8 surgeries, and two respiratory illnesses. We didn't know what to expect. Today, Wyatt's personality gives us the answer to why he fought the hardest fight we have ever seen anyone ever fight. I am so proud of my little boy. He has fought the toughest battles, endured pain, and placed in the scariest situations for a baby. Wyatt is now the most energetic, witty, and at times wiser than his age. He can do everything or more that a two year old can do (but walk). He is speaking sentences, recognizes colors and shapes (most of the time), counts to twenty, uses humor, loves to build towers and then loves even more to push them over, remembers titles and phrases in books, likes to play with trucks and trains, scribbles, recognizes by name characters in books and on TV and enjoys to cuddle and rock. He takes up for himself when his sister takes toys away from him. He reacts by pushing her and then telling on her by saying, "Mommy!" He loves his sister and asks where she is all the time. His favorite phrase is "Pop-Pop- Doughnut!!" He wants to join us at the dinner table and tries so hard to eat what we are eating. It's is tenacious, stubborn, energetic spirit that got him through the toughest times. I love you Wyatt and I couldn't be prouder of you. You fill my life with joy and give me purpose. I look at life and my experiences in a different light now.... and who would of thought that on your 2nd birthday you went down the slide at the playground by yourself!! I am so proud! Happy Birthday!