They fell, but o'er their glorious grave
Floats free the banner of the cause they died to save.
~Francis Marion Crawford

I am so glad the the warm weather is coming! When you start feeling and looking like Gary Busy it is time to get out of the house. Poor miss Kiya has been sick for the last week. I am so glad that this is her first sickness. It amazes me that she never got sick in the hospital. She has a cold/stomach bug. With a g-tube this means vomiting six to eight times a day. When kids get sick they don't want to eat as much. Unfortunately Kiya is tube fed so the only way she can tell us to not feed her as much is by vomiting. The last while we have been feeding her pedialite through her tube. She has tolerated that very well. We are now introducing milk and formula back into her diet. I am so glad she was just sick. I was worried that there was a problem with the g-tube, or that she might be having another allergy of some sort. Things seem to be getting back to normal. Next week we get her weighed. I hope she is actually on the chart this time. She will definitely not have a weight problem that's for sure. Lex is done with Kindergarten soon. I must say I am glad. I cant believe that he will be in first grade! I myself am on a first grade level so I think things well get pretty interesting next year. Mason continues to let me have it with his personality. He unfolded five loads worth of laundry yesterday and scattered it neatly across my room. I bought some band extensions to see if I wanted to cut real bangs. When I showed Matt he said I looked like Fryar Tuck so I decided against getting them chopped. In June we get to introduce baby food into Kiya's diet. I am really hopeful that she will like it. Right now she takes a very small amount of thickened milk by mouth. She is getting a little more used to the idea of having things in her mouth.

Family Pics

We finally did it! A couple of days ago we had family photos taken. It was a very crazy day filled with me chasing Mason half way across the park and trying to convince my kids that they needed to smile. Kiya wasn't too happy so we didn't get a lot of her, but we will have more taken soon.

Hello friends and family. September 3rd will be the annual Hydrocephalus walk. We would love anyone who is interested to join us. The walk goes toward funding crucial hydrocephalus research and program services. The target for 2011 is 9,000 walkers and raising $830,000 so we need you! Lets eliminate the challenges of hydrocephalus and develop better treatments. Kiya will have her VP shunt for the rest of her life. She will also have Hydrocephalus for the rest of her life. Please help us find the cure! Please view the link below to visit Kiya's fundraising page.

Hydrocephalus Walk
Date:
September 3, 2011
Location:
Sugarhouse Park
Address:
2100 South 1500 EastSalt Lake City, UT 84106

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=476488&supId=324738019

Thanks for your support!

Kiya in the Bumbo

Sweet baby girl!

Super Lex takes on the world's most villainous evil doers on our family walk

Sunshine

We have been having a lot of fun in the sun lately. I make shade huts for Kiya to lay under and she really likes it. Today I left her to be babysat for the first time. Kiya decided to show grandma how good she is at throwing up on people. Good thing grandma loves her so much! This week has been great. We didn't have any doctors appointments. Next week we have our usual three. We will meet with neurosurgery on wed and she has an eye check up on Tuesday. Her feeding therapist will also be coming to work on getting her to like food as much as her mommy does.

What A Blessing

Yesterday we blessed Kiya. It was one of the best days of my life! I had an overwhelming excitement that I haven't felt before. I have dreamed of this day since Kiya was born. At times that dreamed seemed as it if might never come to pass. I am so grateful that it did. It was amazing to formally introduce her to our friends and have her daddy express all of the things that he wishes for her in this life. The way I felt yesterday was the feeling I missed when she was born. Instead her birth was the most terrifying, painful day of my life. Blessing her healed so much of our sadness. I have a new sense of gratitude for all that we have endured because our trials are the reason we have Kiya. Kiya is such an amazing person. Sometimes it is strange to call her a baby because she really has so much depth. She has already taught us so much about how you handle hard things. If she could talk I think she would say "keep smiling and trust in God's plan." I am overwhelmed to have been chosen to be her mother. We needed her so much. We wish all of our family and friends could have joined us. Unfortunately we still have to be weary of germs. Soon we can take her more places and it will be so nice. Thanks to all who love us and love Kiya. We have felt your prayers and drawn from your strength. God is good! Kiya is a miracle! Today is a good day