THANK YOU!!

I was watching some videos of Luke yesterday when he was just a little baby and I started to cry a little bit. I guess I just got to thinking about how innocent he was and that at the time, we had no idea there was anything "wrong" with him, we had so many hopes and dreams for him. But as I sat there crying and holding Luke (smiling at me, of course) on my lap, a calmness came over me. There is nothing "wrong" about our little angel and we still have hopes and dreams for him, they're just slightly adjusted. Sure, he has a brain injury and his body doesn't work the way it's supposed to, I am not naive to this. But he is also pure sweetness and joy, and no stinkin label of Cerebral Palsy is going to take that away from him. I started to think about how far Luke has come in just a little under a year since he first started therapy. His head control is getting sooo much better, he is eating solid foods, interacting with toys, chewing on his hands, tolerating tummy time, interacting with his big brother... the list goes on and on. No, Luke is not crawling, sitting up, or walking..yet, and to some these little "inchstones" don't seem like much, but they are to him and I couldn't be more proud of him. He has brought so much to my life and made me a better person. I thank God every day for my beautiful little family.

Ok, there is my reflection time. Whew! On to other news! As most of you reading this know already, but for those who don't, Luke is going to China in October to receive stem cell treatments!! We are very excited, as it is fast approaching. We have been doing numerous fundraisers, which you may have read about. This weekend we had a dinner/auction for Luke and had an AMAZING turnout and it was a HUGE success. We are eternally grateful and so appreciative of everyone who came to the event, helped plan the dinner and everything else that went along with it. For those who couldn't make it, or have sent donations, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! We are still amazed by how much people are willing to help our little guy. It has been an extremely overwhelming and emotional experience for us. And of course thank you for all your thoughts and prayers, please keep them coming .

We do have some more fundraisers coming up as well. Next weekend there is a wing-ding night in Olmsted Falls that my family is putting on. In addition, there is a 5K run/walk at Stephens Lake park here in Columbia with a barbeque following. Then in Sept. we have a golf tournament in Fulton, a 4 man scramble. If you'd like more info on any of these, just let me know and I'd be happy to email you some information.

In other exciting news, again for those who don't already know... Clint and I will be adding to our family in January!! Yes, we are expecting AGAIN, but this time there's 2 babies!! Yes, twins, can you believe it? No, we don't know how we're going to do it either, but we'll do our best! I am 18 weeks along and feeling pretty good, just a little tired. So needless to say, we have been crazy busy with fundraisers, planning for China, babies, and just trying to make it through another day! Finally, as I was reminiscing, I found the funniest baby picture of Luke , he was about 1 month old. He had CRAZY hair when he was born, check it out in the pictures section! Hope it makes you smile as much as I did!

The good and not so good

Sorry it's been a while, things have been very busy here. Between fundraising, vacations, and just everyday life it seems like the days and weeks just fly by. Clint's parents held a very successful Poker Run for Luke a few weeks back and along with dontations, we are one step closer to reaching our goal for Luke's China trip. Thank you soooo much to everyone who helped out and donated. We are so very grateful. Last week myself and the boys headed back to Ohio to visit with my parents. We all had a great time. We went to the county fair, the boys both loved the farm animals, and Cody especially liked the tractors and rides!! Luke even got to pet a horse, rabbit, cow and goat! We also went to the zoo and spent lots of time outide, which was nice because the weather was great, unlike the sauna like weather here!! UGGH, I hope it ends soon. It was so great to just enjoy the boys instead of worrying about running around to Dr. appts. and therapies. It was also nice just to have some extra hands to help out!! Thanks so much Mom and Dad!

This week was back to normal for us. Luke is again not sleeping well at night, which is very frustrating. We just don't know what to do anymore. None of us (except Cody, thank goodness) have had a full nights sleep in over a year!! That's just ridiculous! I just wish he could tell us what's wrong. We put him to bed one night and he got so mad he threw up, then last night, he was up 3 times, once for 45 min. before I went in there and got him to sleep because I couldn't take it anymore. I just wish he could figure out how to get himself to sleep. I'm so worried about when the babies come, how are we going to do it. I am just having a down day I guess, it happens... sorry. Then today we went for a checkup with his eye dr. and he tells me in 6 months they may want to start talking surgery for his eyes! It just really caught me off guard. It is a procedure that is pretty common for kids with CP, but it's just another thing. I HATE CEREBRAL PALSY!!! I hate the thought of Luke being uncomfortable, I just wish he didn't have to go through all this. It makes me so sad sometimes. Please understand, I know how blessed we are to have Luke and realize he could be much worse, it's just a struggle some days to deal with it all. The boys are both sleeping now, so I should try and rest myself, here's hoping tomorrow is a better day.