Jonathan-Christmas service

Getting Ready

just pics. We are busy getting ready for Christmas and the Arrival of Sarah... The past 5 weeks have been a total flurry of activity at our house..
Week 32 brought some really  funky either stomach bug or really late onset of really horrific morning sickness.
I spent most of the week on the High Risk pregnancy unit in the hospital being nursed back to health. It was despite one of our friend's teasing NOT Andrew's cooking.. Praise the Lord we are entering week 37...I am feeling slightly better. We have entered the time of more doctors visits and more testing (to make sure the baby is doing great and we stay pregnant longer).. If we can hold out I will be getting steroid shots 12/29 and 12/30 with Sarah Arriving the Week of January 3rd via c-section.

 Sarah's Corner of our room...

 Jonathan at the Comporium telephone museum learning some Rock Hill,SC history. Funny thing he didn't know this was a train /textile/cotton town at one point..

 It's been really unseasonably cold here... Daniel in a really cute hat playing at a friend's house.

 Jonathan riding a fun train at the Annual event Christmasville- Sponsored by the City of Rock Hill and Onlyin Oldtown.com

 Vernon Grant( The creator of the characters Snap,Crackle and Pop) drew some other characters including the gnome...He is one of the Characters of the festival. Our kids LOVE dressed up characters. In the Spring the festival's Characters are giant frogs.

We dressed up to go to a Signature Chef's Auction benefiting the March of Dimes of South Carolina. It's not often that we dress up.
Unfortunately I was unable to eat anything although the food looked yummy. The Next day I ended up going to the doctor and being admitted for severe dehydration and to get the nausea under control so I could eat again..

Until I post again... Be abundantly blessed...

Fight For Preemies-Prematurity made personal

 I thought long and hard about what to write this year.
 Here is what  I felt is important.

My family lives in South Carolina where statistics from the South Carolina March of Dimes show 1 in every 8 babies are born Prematurely or with some birth defect or complication. This can vary from state to state.
This number thankfully is changing for the better, thanks to research and programs and medicine developed by the March of Dimes.
What causes Prematurity? According to the March of Dimes only in  50 percent of cases do they have a known cause.

Our Story and proof Prematurity can happen to Anyone:
A Tale of 2 pregnancies:

Jonathan was born in March of 2006 after infertility and a miscarriage. He was born at 39 weeks but instead of first cries, he was in respiratory distress. His lungs were severely immature and underdeveloped. He was admitted to the NICU where he was placed on a ventilator and given 3 doses of Surfactant. After some time he deteriorated,he was transferred to Levine Children's Hospital level 4 NICU. (this is our fast forward version).After some time and an oscillating ventilator, he was placed on Nitric Oxide . We nearly were at the point where the neonatal doctors were going to do ECMO.
He began to improve. After 55 days in the NICU he came home on oxygen and monitors. Jonathan was on oxygen until he was six months old. Jonathan is now an active almost 5 year old who continues to amaze us.

Before his younger brother Daniel was conceived I took prenatal vitamins, and ate well. When I was pregnant with him I got more specialized prenatal care. I had a test done called an amniocentesis to check for lung maturity. I received the steroid Betamethasone (to mature his hungs) because his lungs too were immature,just like Jonathan's.

 He was born in late July of 2008 with borderline lung maturity. He was born screaming and has yet to stop.
Thanks to the research and  the support from the March of dimes, and incredible doctors and neonatal doctors Daniel spent 30 hours in the NICU under observation.  Daniel came home with me when I left the hospital on the fourth day. He is a very joyful , loving and active two year old.

We could have had a different outcome had we not learned about what the March of Dimes has researched and what special care we could receive.
I know my family is forever changed by prematurity but we are grateful for what the March of Dimes does for these precious babies.
We are expecting our third baby, Sarah (due after the new year) and I am receiving the same specialized care I received with Daniel. I will be receiving the steroid Betamethasone and a NICU team will be present at her delivery with the drug Surfactant at the ready.

 How do you get involved?
Go to The March For Babies website. Sign up and attend an event in your  area.
Find out for yourself about the mission of the March of Dimes organization. To have every baby be born healthy.
Get your business or company involved.
The walk in our area is fun and is on April 30th.  You can raise money both online and by doing car washes, bake sales and yard sales. You can have a silent auction or a sit down dinner.
Your level of involvement is totally up to you, and  the money you raise goes towards  life saving research.
This is a celebration for our family and for those touched by prematurity.

Everyone at some point knows someone touched by prematurity. We hope at  some point less families are impacted by it and this doesn't happen so often.
Until then we pray for better treatment and more research for a cause and a cure so more mom and dads can bring home healthy babies.

Thanks for visiting :)


Trina and my amazing family Andrew, Jonathan and Daniel

Close encounters of the Jonathan Kind

This is our adventures Saturday and Sunday...

This is our family at the Nikki Haley Rally in Rock Hill standing with Nikki Haley. She is running for Governor in SC. She is really great and We all hope she gets elected...Because she seemed more warm and more not politician like (and we all can appreciate that)

We let Jonathan take some pictures and this was one of them... Nikki liked this one and told someone with her that they were fired(joking).. I cannot believe how great this one was. Looks like we're gonna have to get him his own digital camera. :-)

You know those big post cards the political candidates send out asking you to vote for them? Okay Jonathan has been nurturing one in perticular.
The Guy in the picture is Running for US Congress in our district...Mick Mulvaney. We were eating dinner at a place in Downtown Rock Hill before going to Boo ha ha. We were eating dinner when this guy walks in and sits down..Jonathan keeps looking at him and goes Mommy, mommy making the sign like his post card. I recognize what he is doing and look over... Yep he was RIGHT! I grinned and chuckled like I cannot believe this. I get Andrew's attention...Andrew thought we had both lost it until I made him look.. Then he grinned. Jonathan wanted a picture. We grabbed a cell phone and snapped a photo. He got down on Jonathan's level. He talked about his triplet 10 year olds how they have glasses. We then went back to eating...He kept calling Jonathan Monkey man... :-) (we have been trying to go to his bbq's and events but had been totally unable to for God knows what ever reasons)

Jonathan entered the costume contest and won 4th place... We won a ticket to the Renaissance Festival... He had the judges eating out of his paws with his cuteness.  Don't know if we'll actually go or not but it seems I was blessed on Saturday.

This afternoon Andrew and I go see the perinatologist. We are actually looking forward to what might normally be a scary visit. This doc is a very sweet man that took care of us with Daniel. Old as dirt and is kinda deaf in one ear but the Kindness of God just comes out of him. We will update you.
Until we come back Be BLESSED.

Dress up- Giants Edition

Jonathan proudly displaying his Giants shirt and cap.
Andrew has been a lifelong fan of the San Francisco Giants. They are currently playing the Texas Rangers in the World Series...

Many of our friends have agreed to not speak to each other until after the World series ends as they are Texas Rangers fans.

Dress up today- Jonathan Edition

Jonathan Dressed up today for Book Character Day. He was Curious George. This was just fun for us. We Love living life with our kids.
I will have another edition for you soon...
Be blessed!

Family Day out-AKA Last big trip

Sorry for the red eyes-This was not our Camera...
This was our trip to the South Carolina State Fair

Jonathan on a tractor! This thing needed a ladder. No Joke!

We love talking to the Exhibitors...seeing as Andrew had sheep a while back. These sheep are called Hampshire sheep and this exhibitor was from the state of Georgia...They were nice enough to let our kids pet them. Very sweet animals.

Daniel Petting sheep. He was okay with this and later on was found to be picking up straw and tried feeding it to them.(although the straw is more or less bedding more than food)
He was heard saying "Sheep, Baaaaa!"

Jonathan getting up close and personal(on his own)- almost the sweetest moment with him today.

Jonathan and the Turkey... Well because sometimes he is one. LOL

Daniel watching the sheep show but awesome pic. He was enjoying himself, but really tired. One thing of note: He had zero melt downs... Jonathan had 3. :)

I hope you enjoyed our day out with us. This was probably the last major outing(more than one hour from home) before sister is born.