This month we celebrated Jorge's 4th birthday! We had a small party at school, and then did a small get together at home! He had a blast at both! We did 2 costumes this year, Jorge wanted his birthday party theme to be Batman, so he had to dress like batman, and then we did Hulk for halloween. Alana was a very cute pink and white sheep, and for Jorge's birthday, we created our own version of a fairy, and named her costume Alanabell!!!!
For halloween we went trick or treating. The kids had sooo much fun, we also dis the Pumpkin patch deal, we took amazing pictures!!! The kids picked their own pumpkin, and then we carved it at home . . . Jorge is starting to want to do all these things, its just super cool!
Alana is now starting to give little steps, she will do 2 steps, and then fall, or throw herself to the floor, and crack up about the fall. She is finally allowing us to feed her. She never eats without giving a fight, but she gives in a lot faster than her brother . . . .they are both horrible eaters.
We also did Christmas decorations early this year! We are going to spend the month of November, and half of December in Bogota, so I decided to leave everything ready, so we would not have to worry about it when we returned home!
We took Alana and Jorge to get haircuts, she loved it, she loves the whole pampering thing . .. Jorge loves it as well!!! He likes the attention, and pops he gets at the end, and also buying caramel popcorn from the store next door!
The kids are just doing amazingly well! We cannot stop counting our blessings!!!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
They are growing so fast!
So we are a month away from Jorge's 4th birthday! TIme has flown, and he is doing so so well! I am just amazed at how much he has gone through and how well he is doing! We are just so blessed. His speech is also improving a lot, he is finally making de c, and f sound at the beginning of a word. He still struggles a bit with some words, and it takes us a while to understand what he is trying to say, but that does not stop our little guy, if he can not speak it, then he will point it, or use his hands until we understand what he wants. That is just who he is, a fighter that will never give up!
Alana is also doing amazing. She is now 8 months, and is finally crawling like she should. She can stand on her own and cruise grabbing herself from things. she i snow asking for things, she can wave hello, and bye bye, also can clap, and knows where her hands are. She is making dada sounds as well as caca, still no mama!!!! She is a very alert and very smart little girl. She nows what she wants, and will let you know!!!
The cutest thing is to watch them both interact. They fight, and they hug an kiss. Jorge is a loving and caring big bro, and she is a little pain in his behind! LOL we are just so in love!!!!
Alana is also doing amazing. She is now 8 months, and is finally crawling like she should. She can stand on her own and cruise grabbing herself from things. she i snow asking for things, she can wave hello, and bye bye, also can clap, and knows where her hands are. She is making dada sounds as well as caca, still no mama!!!! She is a very alert and very smart little girl. She nows what she wants, and will let you know!!!
The cutest thing is to watch them both interact. They fight, and they hug an kiss. Jorge is a loving and caring big bro, and she is a little pain in his behind! LOL we are just so in love!!!!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
And She can stand!
Alana just turned 7 months yesterday, and today she already started pulling up! She hit her eye while attempting to do this . . . . This little girl just keeps on amazing us. Jorge is also doing awesome. His speech keeps on getting better, and finally he is eating like a champ! At school he eats as much as the other kids, and in the same amount of time. Both my kids are just champs! So in love!
Sunday, July 21, 2013
A whole new World!
So a lot has happened in the last year. To begin we got pregnant had a baby, and are now going crazy with both kids. We were blessed with an adorable little girl, and we named her Alana Sofia!. She is just perfect, the most sweet baby ever. Jorge has also been doing great, he has grown so much. He is now a big brother/ big boy, that is fully potty trained, that no longer has a gtube, and that sleeps in his room in his big boy bed. He is super smart, super cute, and has quite a temper. I am told that this is to be expected, he had to learn to fight to survive, and it became part of his lifestyle.
We have been working hard on his speech. He can communicate, but he has trouble with his pronunciation. He has a few speech disorders, like changing the c sound for a t, and also deleting syllables, but overall, he is doing great. He is also playing sports. We have him in tennis lessons, and also he has been learning how to swim! On the health issues we finally got his GI system working properly, we are taking a break from dialations, and it seems its for good! We now have one more problem to tackle, which is to remove a cyst in his bladder, and then I think he will no longer need any more surgeries, at least not for now!
He is the most amazing brother, he just adores his baby sister. He likes to help me with the bathing, diaper changing, and even the feeding. He does get a bit jealous sometimes, but for the most part he has been super good!
The baby is also a super star. She is so advanced for her age. She lifted her head almost a week after she was born, also she was born with her eyes wide open, and was able to stay awake for 4 hours straight the night she was born. She started putting weight on her feet by the time she was 2 months. At this same time she started turning from her belly upwards. She also learned before she was three months to hold her bottle. At three months she was also pushing upwards, and standing with assistance. At four months she was already sitting and rolling, and at 5 months she already started crawling, its more like a snake move, but she is moving all over!
Both my kids just continue to amaze me. Jorge is such a bright kid, and a fighter, he was able to learn to crawl, turn, lift his head, sit, stand up, and give steps, in three months, I think it is amazing specially considering that he was in the NICU for 5 months, and also was hooked to a ventilator for most of this his stay there, and then my baby girl, she is just a very curious and fast learning little girl. They are just out of this world.
Jorge was such a good sleeper. Since he was tiny he was very well behaved and calm. Alana on the other hand is wild, loud, won't sleep. She is the opposite of what her baby brother was, but like I always say I would not have it any other way! I am just completely in love with my family!
We have been working hard on his speech. He can communicate, but he has trouble with his pronunciation. He has a few speech disorders, like changing the c sound for a t, and also deleting syllables, but overall, he is doing great. He is also playing sports. We have him in tennis lessons, and also he has been learning how to swim! On the health issues we finally got his GI system working properly, we are taking a break from dialations, and it seems its for good! We now have one more problem to tackle, which is to remove a cyst in his bladder, and then I think he will no longer need any more surgeries, at least not for now!
He is the most amazing brother, he just adores his baby sister. He likes to help me with the bathing, diaper changing, and even the feeding. He does get a bit jealous sometimes, but for the most part he has been super good!
The baby is also a super star. She is so advanced for her age. She lifted her head almost a week after she was born, also she was born with her eyes wide open, and was able to stay awake for 4 hours straight the night she was born. She started putting weight on her feet by the time she was 2 months. At this same time she started turning from her belly upwards. She also learned before she was three months to hold her bottle. At three months she was also pushing upwards, and standing with assistance. At four months she was already sitting and rolling, and at 5 months she already started crawling, its more like a snake move, but she is moving all over!
Both my kids just continue to amaze me. Jorge is such a bright kid, and a fighter, he was able to learn to crawl, turn, lift his head, sit, stand up, and give steps, in three months, I think it is amazing specially considering that he was in the NICU for 5 months, and also was hooked to a ventilator for most of this his stay there, and then my baby girl, she is just a very curious and fast learning little girl. They are just out of this world.
Jorge was such a good sleeper. Since he was tiny he was very well behaved and calm. Alana on the other hand is wild, loud, won't sleep. She is the opposite of what her baby brother was, but like I always say I would not have it any other way! I am just completely in love with my family!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Potty Training!
So we began the training for Jorge to finally get rid of his diapers. Today was the first day and he went three times in his potty!!!!
The first time was early int he morning, I made sure the room was really cold, and turned on the water, took his diaper off, and sat them on his Elmo potty, And two minutes later, he went. We were so excited and cheered for him so much, that the second time he took his diaper off, and told me he wanted to go to the bathroom, the lights were off, so he would not go in, so as soon as I turned them on, he went in and peed a bit on the floor, I quickly sat him again, and he finished in his toilet. The third time was after his nap, he went like a pro!!! I think the first day went awesome, at this pace, he will no longer use diapers very soon!!!!!!
The first time was early int he morning, I made sure the room was really cold, and turned on the water, took his diaper off, and sat them on his Elmo potty, And two minutes later, he went. We were so excited and cheered for him so much, that the second time he took his diaper off, and told me he wanted to go to the bathroom, the lights were off, so he would not go in, so as soon as I turned them on, he went in and peed a bit on the floor, I quickly sat him again, and he finished in his toilet. The third time was after his nap, he went like a pro!!! I think the first day went awesome, at this pace, he will no longer use diapers very soon!!!!!!
Monday, April 30, 2012
G tube no More!!!!
So Jorge has an esophagram (barium swallow) done a months ago, and we finally got news from the doctors last week. We were told it looks so good, that if had been eating by mouth for more than three months we could take out the tube. When we did the math, it had been more than that, actually almost four months, so we finally took that step and got rid of the g tube!
He still does not eat with a huge appetite, he fights some times, or most of the time I must say, but regardless of this, he drinks four eight ounce bottles a day, and about 16 oz of water as well all by the mouth. We decided to do this, because we realized, that Jorge us just confused, and he thinks the proper way to eat is through the tube, and even though he has been doing it quite well by mouth, every day, he would ask to get his feeds via tube.
The doctor told us exactly how to do it, we gave him his last feed on Wednesday April 25th, at around 9 p.m.. We waited two hours so that the food would be already digested, and for him to be asleep. We grabbed a syringe, took all the fluid out of the tube and pull it out. Then we grabbed some gauze's, a lot I have to say, and covered the hole where the tube was, and went to bed. The next morning it seemed to have healed a bit, so when I sat Jorge on his high chair and started feeding, I realized the food was coming out through the little hole, it was just terrifying, so I decided to call his doctors in Boston almost having a panic attack, to hear this was completely normal, and that it would take at least 48 hours to get better. It has gotten better ever since, but we still have little leaks, so after he is done eating, we will lay him down flat on his back for about 10 minutes and voila!!! Leaks no more!
He still refuses to eat solids, so we are trying to figure out what our next step will be. We also got a bit of bad news. He will need surgery again for his craneosynostosis repair. The sutures did not close properly and we were told he has a gap between them in the skull. It sounds much worse that it is according to his doctor, I am not convinces yet that it is not so bad, but we have learned through the years that it is always better than what it looks like, so again we hope and trust God that he will have another wonderful doctor perform surgery on him, and that the outcome will be very very favorable!!!!!
He still does not eat with a huge appetite, he fights some times, or most of the time I must say, but regardless of this, he drinks four eight ounce bottles a day, and about 16 oz of water as well all by the mouth. We decided to do this, because we realized, that Jorge us just confused, and he thinks the proper way to eat is through the tube, and even though he has been doing it quite well by mouth, every day, he would ask to get his feeds via tube.
The doctor told us exactly how to do it, we gave him his last feed on Wednesday April 25th, at around 9 p.m.. We waited two hours so that the food would be already digested, and for him to be asleep. We grabbed a syringe, took all the fluid out of the tube and pull it out. Then we grabbed some gauze's, a lot I have to say, and covered the hole where the tube was, and went to bed. The next morning it seemed to have healed a bit, so when I sat Jorge on his high chair and started feeding, I realized the food was coming out through the little hole, it was just terrifying, so I decided to call his doctors in Boston almost having a panic attack, to hear this was completely normal, and that it would take at least 48 hours to get better. It has gotten better ever since, but we still have little leaks, so after he is done eating, we will lay him down flat on his back for about 10 minutes and voila!!! Leaks no more!
He still refuses to eat solids, so we are trying to figure out what our next step will be. We also got a bit of bad news. He will need surgery again for his craneosynostosis repair. The sutures did not close properly and we were told he has a gap between them in the skull. It sounds much worse that it is according to his doctor, I am not convinces yet that it is not so bad, but we have learned through the years that it is always better than what it looks like, so again we hope and trust God that he will have another wonderful doctor perform surgery on him, and that the outcome will be very very favorable!!!!!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Happy 2012!!! let the good news begin!!!
So we had a wonderful and family filled christmas and new years! Jorge had a lot of fun, and so did we. We had both our families here, so Jorge got way to much attention, and of course got rotten spoiled. He is again the only baby in our families, so for now everything is allowed.
Right after New Years, most of the family left to go back home, and we yet again had a trip planned to Boston. We were not very excited to have to travel, and to have to deal with the freezing weather, but we had freezing weather here in Florida too, which helped a bit with the transition!!!!
Jorge had his number ?@?#?$ dilatation, we just lost count by now, and as we were expecting to hear that we needed to come back in a few weeks, the doctor gave us the most wonderful news ever. After 8 major surgeries and an unknown number of dilatations we are done! We finally got Jorge's esophagus to look like a tube, and not like a sand clock, and what this means is that we do not need to go to Boston for a while, and also that he will soon be able to eat solids, and whatever he wants, and that he will not have to go under anesthesia for a huge while.
I have laughed, cried, laughed and cried again. I feel like so much weight has been lifted from my shoulders, and most important I feel thrilled to be able to have a normal life, and allow Jorge to grow like all the other kids. Not fearing that he will catch a cold, so surgery does not get postponed, allowing him to play with other kids, and outdoors, to go in the pool, eat mud, all those little things that almost everyone takes for granted, but that for us just means a huge deal!!!!!
We continue to be amazed with his spirit. As we were waiting in the Hospital for him to get his procedure done, we realized that everyone knew him. When I say everyone that's exactly what I mean. The receptionist, lab techs, nurses, doctors, everyone just stopped to say hi to him, and he as always gave everyone of them a huge smile and his little hand wave that just melts my heart. He is just unstoppable, he will not let anything bring him down, and I trully hope he keeps this wonderful attitude through out his life, because if he does, nothing will stop him from achieving whatever he wants!
Now I have to focus on getting him to eat. Once we are able to do this, then the next step will be to get rid of the gtube. We do not know how long it will take, but we do hope the time comes soon enough, so what is left of all this experience is the lessons learned and the memories, all though tough sometimes, rewarding and important to help us become the family we are today!!!!!!
We got the best Christmas gift ever, and we hope you all did as well!!!!!!!!!
Right after New Years, most of the family left to go back home, and we yet again had a trip planned to Boston. We were not very excited to have to travel, and to have to deal with the freezing weather, but we had freezing weather here in Florida too, which helped a bit with the transition!!!!
Jorge had his number ?@?#?$ dilatation, we just lost count by now, and as we were expecting to hear that we needed to come back in a few weeks, the doctor gave us the most wonderful news ever. After 8 major surgeries and an unknown number of dilatations we are done! We finally got Jorge's esophagus to look like a tube, and not like a sand clock, and what this means is that we do not need to go to Boston for a while, and also that he will soon be able to eat solids, and whatever he wants, and that he will not have to go under anesthesia for a huge while.
I have laughed, cried, laughed and cried again. I feel like so much weight has been lifted from my shoulders, and most important I feel thrilled to be able to have a normal life, and allow Jorge to grow like all the other kids. Not fearing that he will catch a cold, so surgery does not get postponed, allowing him to play with other kids, and outdoors, to go in the pool, eat mud, all those little things that almost everyone takes for granted, but that for us just means a huge deal!!!!!
We continue to be amazed with his spirit. As we were waiting in the Hospital for him to get his procedure done, we realized that everyone knew him. When I say everyone that's exactly what I mean. The receptionist, lab techs, nurses, doctors, everyone just stopped to say hi to him, and he as always gave everyone of them a huge smile and his little hand wave that just melts my heart. He is just unstoppable, he will not let anything bring him down, and I trully hope he keeps this wonderful attitude through out his life, because if he does, nothing will stop him from achieving whatever he wants!
Now I have to focus on getting him to eat. Once we are able to do this, then the next step will be to get rid of the gtube. We do not know how long it will take, but we do hope the time comes soon enough, so what is left of all this experience is the lessons learned and the memories, all though tough sometimes, rewarding and important to help us become the family we are today!!!!!!
We got the best Christmas gift ever, and we hope you all did as well!!!!!!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)