It's been a LONG year, but is't been worth every second!

Hey!  We're back!  Sooo sorry that we haven't been updating this blog like I've said we would over and over again.  I'm lazy.....what else can I say?  ha ha.  As we sat here watching the horror on TV in disbelief of the evil of one man I look at my daughter and start to reflect on the incredible year we have gone through and how incredibly blessed we are to be spending our first Christmas and her first birthday with her.  It's hard to believe that a year ago this month we were going to the McDonald house awaiting a life that scared the hell out of us because we didn't know if we would get to enjoy or even experience it.  With a few bags packed, a computer, my wife at my side and my daughter in her belly we walked through those doors with no idea what was going to happen next. That Christmas was the most incredible I have ever experienced!  I have never been around such generosity and selflessness in my life.  The people we met and the staff that works there will always have a place in our hearts and we will NEVER forget the time we spent there.  From the moment my daughter was born until this very second she has consumed every aspect of our lives and we wouldn't have it any other way.  She has shown us how strong she can be through two open heart surgeries, how smart she is, learning EVERYTHING that momma challenges her with from body parts to sharing to animals and their sounds! (I'll post those videos too!)  and how loving she is to her parents.......she's sooo sweet!  I've also watched my beautiful wife struggle against stubborn cardiologists, rough nurses, hard headed family members, and watching her daughter deal with everything and after all of it she still has tons of smiles and love for her daughter and makes everyday wonderful for her!  You can see her wonderful dedicated work in our daughters smile...and she smiles ALL the time!  I can't say enough how much respect I have for my wife and how much more I love her each day!  She is the strongest woman I have ever met and I know in my heart I get my strength from her,  without her I know I would just fall apart!  Since our last post many things have happened and Cemaia just keeps getting bigger and stronger!  I just can't keep up with everything she can do and everything she has accomplished.  We are going to try and go through our notes and do a more specific year in review for you....I know I know......"you've said that before."  Can't say trust me we will, but trust me we will this time lol.  I guess the most recent things that have happened for our family started in November when we all got sick, that was horrible.  I never thought that we could have caught such a nasty virus at a pediatricians office,  what we took away from that little stunt was next time we don't like something SPEAK UP!  We can never be too careful when it comes to her health!  Although Cemaia got over it like the super warrior that she is, it never should have happened in the first place.  Since then momma has been working with her like you would not believe and Cemaia now knows a lot of her body parts,  she can pick up certain animals when you call them out, and just to show off she can pick them out by the sounds they make.  Yes  we have videos of her doing all these thing in case you might have some doubts, and yes, she's only 11 months old!  BOO YA!!  Also we have had a series of good cardio appointments and so far her heart seems to be doing well and getting stronger.  We have started the process of getting some second opinions from CHOP and Boston Children's Hospital.  We look forward to what they have to say, we'll keep you posted!  This year has been the longest, scariest, most wonderful year of my life! We can't wait to enjoy Christmas with our beautiful, strong, exceptionally smart heart warrior princess, and then just a few days later our special gift turns one!  Good times!

Cemaia's Glenn

We made this video right after her Glenn.  I heard this song the night before her Glenn and I had to make a trip to target.  It seems that I was really stressing about everything and when I got back into the car as soon as I turned the key this was on the radio.  I only caught the end of the chorus but when I did it really spoke to me.  As soon as I got back to Lisa I found the song and played it for her, she loved it too.  It's true that when you need it most God will send you a message if you are open to hear it.

Cemaia At Home!

Well I know it has been forever since we have given any attention to this page and we are very sorry. Since the last time Cemaia has had her Glenn and it's been about 4 months since.  She is doing well, although there have been a few scares along the way. I hope you enjoy the video and we will definitely make a stronger effort to keep this page updated.  Thanks again for all the support from those who have given it....you know who you are! We are also publishing this to YouTube so you can see it on your phone if you can't see it here!

Cemaia's Glenn Video Round 2

Sorry I have been lazy posting what is going on with our little warrior lately, well through the last 5 months to be exact. Here is a little video Lisa made to show how well Cemaia did through this round. To date our little one continues to amaze us and is doing quite well, although she is teething at the moment she is otherwise a very smart, strong, and extremely happy baby and we feel very blessed to have her in our lives!     

Home and Happy!

This is a Video of our little fighters first weeks at home!

First Video! From NICU till NOW

sorry it's been so long since we wrote anything, we will be updating everything that is going on soon (i hope) but we did make this video to show some of the scenes that we have seen through the first part of Cemaias journey! We hope you like it and I hope it works : )

Contractions, Contractions,Contractions!

Well where to start? Hmmmmm.  Well I suppose last Wednesday because we were in Labor and Delivery  after a non-stress test because the ladies thought she was going into labor. They decided to let us come home because the contractions were relatively mild and she would more than likely just go into labor some time soon. WRONG!  We went through the holiday cramping and contracting along which was extremely uncomfortable for Lisa and as you can assume not fun. Although Christmas was kinda lame it did have it's moments where we were happy even though we could not see our family or friends. Christmas eve we had a very nice brunch in the morning and then for dinner another very nice family brought dinner which was also very good. Then Christmas morning on our way to yet another brunch we were extremely surprised to see that they had hung a stocking on our door with a little stuffed polar bear sitting on the floor. It wasn't much but it really made my day. The stocking had some See's chocolate balls (which Lisa loved) and a little globe she can put Cemaia's picture in.  We also picked up the presents we had picked out from the Santa's workshop and they are still wrapped and waiting for Cemaia.  After brunch (which was good) we took a nap and this whole time Lisa is still contracting like crazy! Oh yeah we also found at the door later that day a pair of slippers with a card to me. This was awesome because I really wanted a pair seeing as I'm too lazy to want to put my Vans on every time I want to leave the room.  Anyway Monday nothing really happen (we did get out of the room because we are going insane being in here all the time!) and Lisa was contracting like usual about 2 to 8 minutes apart but never really more than 10 minutes apart.  We did go to Labor and Delivery again because the contractions were coming just a little more than they have for the past 3 days and we wanted to see if she was farther along than the first time, NOPE.  So we decided to go out to eat. It was good! We woke up this morning early to go to another non-stress test at 10.  When we got there we told them that we were aware that Lisa had been contracting a lot and the day before she had just been to Labor and Delivery but they said she wasn't having strong enough contractions to say that she was in "active" labor, apparently the lady (although very nice) wasn't listening because she asked about 10 minutes into the test if Lisa was feeling the contractions because (once again) they were coming regularly and fast.  Of course Lisa was feeling them and we told them what they had said the day before and they let us come home.  On the way home we decided to go to our house in Ceres to see the dogs and her mom because we are home sick and just need a doggy fix.  We had the car packed with most of the extras we really don't need right now and were going to leave when Lisa decided it would be best to ask the OB before we leave just to get an opinion on how safe the journey would be.  Of course the answer was NO. Well at first it wasn't no, but after looking at her chart and talking to the doctor it was no. Although disappointed we know that staying here is probably for the best and that IS of course why we have been here so long in the first place. So here we sit while our daughter teases us with contractions waiting and home sick.  Oh well at least the dinner that is being provided tonight smells awesome and we get some free family pictures!  Gotta love RMH!