Lainey's New Year Gift!

Lainey has a New Year gift...a little bit early! Nope, it isn't the baby....although she is too cute and looks a lot like Lainey!

It is her first, NEW tooth!! She didn't get it for Christmas, but she got it just in time for the New Year!

Christmas in the life of a Smithson

The red and green paper countdown chain, shopping, wrapping, hiding presents, anticipation, excitement, family, friends, church, Santa, food, traveling, and LOVE..... are just a few of the things we Smithsons enjoy about Christmas. We got everything we wanted and MORE!! Sid and I are blessed to have the ability to provide traditions and memories for our children to remember and continue for many years to come. We are also blessed to be able to share the traditions we so fondly remember as children with our own children.

Our Christmas actually began on Monday the 21st by exchanging gifts with my birth mother and her husband, David. Although I have only known Carolyn since 1999, our bond is one of 29 years! She has always made me feel so welcomed into her life and into her family. This year she and David gave us numerous gifts, but the best and most anticipated gift of all is a Disney Cruise to the Bahamian Islands...in October 2009! I am not sure if Sid and I are more excited or if the kids are! Thanks a bunch Carolyn and David!

Carolyn and Lainey

Christmas eve we went to the 9:00 pm service to accommodate Sid's work schedule, and it was wonderful. Mom, dad, Dayna, Brad, and Lilly Anne joined us for church. Lainey was very well behaved and sang nicely throughout the Christmas hymns! We thought going to church would make the boys extremely tired....not so much! They were up until 11:45!

The Snug Bug at the Christmas Eve church service.

Christmas morning Logan came into our room around 9:00. It was still as quiet as a mouse around our house! Everyone was worn out from our late night Christmas Eve! When it finally dawned on Logan that it was Christmas morning, the morning he had been counting down to for 364 days, he was down the stairs in a flash! He came back upstairs to report that Santa left a lot of presents, but he only saw gifts for Liam, Lainey, and dad. After convincing him to wake up his brother and going back downstairs to look for his name on the presents, he finally found "more than I asked for!"

Our tree after Santa visited!

We all got what we asked for plus a few things we needed! It was so much fun to see the children open their gifts. Logan stacked all of his gifts in nice, orderly stacks. Liam opened the gifts as soon as they were passed out to him! Lainey did extremely well opening her gifts, then playing with the paper! Logan got the Handy Manny Transform Tool Truck he asked for as well as a Nintendo DS, Aqua Globes, Life Is Good shirts, a Georgia Bulldog jersey and hat, a digital camera, Nerf shooters, flat screen Lite Brite, and tons of movies. Liam got the Handy Manny talking tool box, Handy Manny TV repair, a Handy Manny shirt, shoes, Hot Wheels, Triple Tower race track, a Lite Saver, and movies. Lainey got a push toy, a baby doll, some clothes, some movies, and some toys to chew on! Sid got socks, undershirts, Life Is Good shirts and p.j. pants, movies, Crocs, New Balance shoes, flashlights, workout equipment, and more. I got perfume, an iPOD shuffle, electric scissors, a homemade peg board for all of my crafts, and more! Not only was our house full of children, poopy diapers, wrapping paper, and presents, but it was also full of LOVE! All of the times I had wished for a nap or the children to take a nap and all the times my husband was acting like the children, the mess in my clean house was a reminder of how short life really is and how much I truly enjoy being a mom and wife. It was the best Christmas I can recall.

Logan's organized stacks of presents. I wonder where he gets that from?

Logan with food for the kitchen set.

"Aqua Globes will water plants for two weeks and you don't even have to lift a finger!"
Logan has memorized many infomercials, but this is the one thing "we have to get!"

Liam also got food for the kitchen set.

Liam opening the Handy Manny TV repair.

Logan with the ONE toy he asked Santa to bring for Christmas, a Handy Manny Transform Tool Truck.

Lainey opening some clothes she got from Santa.

Logan with his surprise gift ~ Nintendo DS!

Lainey and daddy looking at her Newborn Cabbage Patch Doll.

Several hours after opening gifts from Santa, grandma Barbara (Sid's mom) dropped in for a little while with a lot of gifts. It also happened to be meltdown time for Liam and Lainey, also known as "I need a nap, NOW" time! Our visit with grandma Barbara was short lived, but the candy she left is being devoured as I type!

After the children took their nap and I finished cooking, we went to my parent's house. Our 4:30 meal turned into a 6:30 meal, but I was prepared! I made several snack dips to munch on while we finished preparing dinner. Dinner was awesome, with Honey Baked Ham, sweet potato souffle, German potato salad, green beans, rolls, and coconut cream pie and Dayna's triple chocolate cheesecake for dessert! Papa Dan(Sid's ex step-dad) and Rachel came to join us for dinner and the exchanging of gifts. It is always great to hang with Dan!

With full tummies, it was time to open presents! Logan helped Gigi pass out the gifts, and boy were there a lot of gifts! My parents always spoil us with wonderful gifts. Sid and I, as well as Dayna and Brad, scored a new laptop! This was awesome since the last laptops they gave us had quit working this summer. There were so many gifts given by all, I couldn't possibly list each one of them! It was an awesome evening and everyone was happy, well rested, and FULL! Dayna and I are so lucky to have been chosen by two wonderful people! We couldn't have picked better parents ~ maybe healthier, but not better!! :)

Gigi and Logan handing out presents.

Sid and Liam waiting for their presents.

Logan opening presents at Gigi and Papa's house.

The day after Christmas we got up early to begin our trip to South Georgia. First we went to my dad's parents house in Perry. Grandma D had tons of yummy food prepared as she always does. We opened gifts and lucked up with some money. It was great hanging out with Grandma D and Pop. Our visits are always so short.

Great Pop and Lainey hanging out.

The great grandchildren with Grandma D and Pop.

Lainey, Liam, Logan, and Lilly Anne

Warner Robins was our next stop. Grandma Lil and Grandpa Bob had a house full! This is the one time of year we get to see almost all of our family. With mom having 4 brothers, whom are all married, and almost all of them have 2 or more children, whom may also have a spouse, and many live in Florida ~ to get everyone together in one spot at the same time would be a miracle! Although everyone was not there, we still had a blast hanging out with the people we do not get to see very often. Opening gifts with the Rodenroths is always a production because there are so many of us. This year we said we were not exchanging gifts. Grandma said she was only doing gifts for the kids. YEAH RIGHT! Almost everyone left with a gift and the kids really racked up! Not only are the gifts a production, but the food is like going to a gourmet buffet. Everything tasted so good (when I finally got to eat...I was on Liam duty!) It was so much fun, but we had to leave due to Sid's work schedule requiring him to be at work by 6:30 the next morning. It was around 11:00 when we got home and we were beat! Today we are just hanging out in our p.j.s all day and not leaving the house...well unless we feel the need for some DQ ice cream!

Grandma Lil with Dayna's baby, Lilly Anne.

As always, we missed Sid's dad Noel, whom Lainey carries his name as her middle name. He sent us a very nice monetary gift, but to have him here would be better than anything we could dream of! Maybe soon it will be in our schedule and budget to take a trip to Texas to visit Sid's relatives!

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. Our Christmas was the best thanks to our friends and family. Thank you for all of the prayers that allowed us to be here together and have a safe and healthy holiday. If you did not get a Smithson Family Christmas card and would like a copy, please send us your address! We love you all!

At CHRISTmas with love,

The Smithson Family

All I want for Christmas is ANOTHER enzyme!

Yesterday Liz the dietitian from the Cystic Fibrosis Center called to give us a report on Lainey's stool sample from last week.....Results: Not Good! She has a lot of fat in her stool, thus the reason she is not gaining adequate weight...not to mention the reason for the stench that lingers in our house! I am going to begin working on an invention that successfully contains a CF baby diaper (meaning the diapers can't be smelled from our house to the neighbors)!! It is really important that Lainey absorbs as much fat as possible so that she gains weight. It is also assumed that if the amount of fat in the stool is elevated that she must also be losing important vitamins, minerals, and other things from her food. This news was a bummer, since last month's stool sample was very close to normal!
With this news, Liz recommend adding another enzyme to the three she already takes before each meal! Now Lainey is taking 4 Ultrase enzymes before she eats a meal! Although this is on the high end for a child of her age and weight, we are hoping this does the trick! If this is not the solution, we will try another brand of enzyme! In case you are unsure of what the enzymes are designed to do, if they are working properly they should help take the place of natural pancreatic enzymes. They help breakdown food and assist in absorption of fat, vitamins, minerals, and other important things found in food. Since the mucus within Lainey's body is very thick as a result of Cystic Fibrosis, her pancreas is plugged. As a result of a plugged pancreas, Lainey's natural pancreatic enzymes are not able to be released into the stomach to aid in breaking down her food. Now we are working on finding out exactly how many enzymes she needs to correctly and effectively breakdown her food! What a chore this has proven to be! We have been working on this since she first ate when she was in the NICU at Egleston! I am pretty sure it will be something we will always have to work on....until there is a cure for Cystic Fibrosis! BLAH....but we will do ANYTHING it takes to make sure Lainey is healthy, happy, comfortable, and everything else she needs to fulfill her dreams!
Thank you for keeping us in your prayers! We are blessed to have so many people keeping us in their thoughts and prayers! Have a Merry Christmas! Look back tomorrow for pictures of the Smithson Family Christmas morning!

God Bless,
The Smithsons

Pictures With Mr. Claus...aka: Santa

Logan and Liam waiting to see Santa.

Logan waiting for "a long time" to see Santa!

Liam actually sitting still while waiting to see Santa!

Logan riding the horse.

Liam riding another horse!

After an hour of waiting in line to see Santa, we finally got to tell him what we wanted for Christmas....

* Logan wants a Hanny Manny Transform Tool Truck.

* Liam wants "Apple Juice!"....Logan told Santa just to bring Liam a truck!

* Lainey wants a break from her brothers.

* Sid wants a day off of work, a day off of school, away from crazy children, and no "Honey Do list!

* DeAnn wants a day of Peace and Quiet!

Verdict: Santa says, "I will work on that!"

Santa and the kids....

Logan was too heavy for Santa's lap, Lainey would stare and cry (she isn't liking too many men right now), and Liam....Isn't he such a pleasant child?

We've Caught the Christmas Bug!

Lainey at the Cystic Fibrosis Center for an appointment.

Today my mom had an appointment at the Adult Cardiac Clinic at Emory and Lainey had her monthly check up at the Cystic Fibrosis Center. This was a long day, but not too much change ~ this is good for some areas of both mom's and Lainey's check up, but not so good for other areas!

Mom's numerous doctors think she doing well, but will be doing better when she gets over her cold. Last week she went to her local doctor only to find out she was about a day away from developing pneumonia! After a week of medications, she sounds and feels much better. Her doctors at Emory want her to begin her breathing treatments again when she is completely over her cold. The breathing treatments were working well for mom for a long time, but her body quit responding as well after several years. In July the doctors took her off of the treatments and put her on another medication given through a needle in the stomach! After a week in the hospital and a week at home, mom was in so much pain that she never left the house. Her quality of life was effected by the medication, not to mention the pain was horrible. When the doctors took her off the medication, they decided to wait on starting her treatments again. Since August, mom has been able to feel a huge difference in her energy level without the breathing treatments. Hopefully when she begins the treatments again in the next few weeks, she will feel better. The biggest downside to the treatments is the strict regimen it requires. Every three hours she must use a nebulizer to complete her 10 minute treatment. This is quite difficult when you try to go out shopping or when you are driving somewhere. Although it can be inconvenient, anything to keep mom happy and healthy is something we can deal with!

Lainey also had some good and some not so good reports at the doctor today! Her height was 26 .75 inches and her head was 17.5 inches ~ both of which were the same as when she went to her regular pediatrician two weeks ago. Her weight was 15 lbs. 3.8 oz. This is where the issue lies! She has only gained 4 oz since her appointment at the CF Center 1 month ago! She weighed less that she did at her pediatrician's office two weeks ago! Our new plan for weight gain is to begin feeding her every 3 hours, only formula. If she finishes 5 oz. of formula, she can have baby food. Her dietitian wants her to take at least 30 oz of formula per day. Currently she is only consuming about 20 oz. If she doesn't gain weight or drink the 30 oz. per day within the next couple of weeks, then we will need to make her formula higher in calories. Hopefully that will work or they may need to start a feeding tube! Blah!

Other than her very little weight gain, Lainey checked out well. Her lungs sound clear, she was at 100% oxygen level, and she is developing appropriately. We are so thankful for her good health. Please pray that she gains weight. We are sure she will be her goal weight by our next visit on January 16th.

Please continue to check back for more pictures during the holiday season. Below are pictures from Lainey's visit to the CF Center. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love Always,

The Smithsons

Sleepy Bug ~ Her 2 to 3 hour visit at the CF Center always wears her out!


Night Night Buggy!

Lainey and "Yellow" ~ "Yellow" was a Christmas gift from the doctors, nurses, and staff at the CF Center.

Lainey and her new friend, "Yellow."

Now is a great time to donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation! Any amount will help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis! Thank you. To donate directly in Lainey's honor, please click on the link http://www.cff.org/GiftReg/DeAnnSmithson .

Family Pictures!

We finally got everyone in our family of 5 together at a time the portrait studio was open! Although we have a few good shots of each one of us, we would have liked to have had more. But as they say, beggars can't be choosers! If you see Liam in a picture, it is a Christmas miracle! He does not like to be bothered with sitting still or being in the tiny studio! Enjoy the pictures!

Lainey Bug

"Surely Not! Does this lady think she has to talk to me like that to get ME to smile?"

SMILE!

WOW! A decent picture of Liam!

Logan James ~ up close and personal!

Our handsome boy!

The Smithson Family

Look at all of the red-heads!

The Christmas Bug

Here are a few pictures of Lainey, the Christmas Bug!

6th Month Amazement

There aren't any HumBUGS here!

Today Lainey had her 6 month check up with Dr. Onal at Pediatric Associates. He is totally amazed with her health, feats, and accomplishments! His amazement made me feel as though I was receiving the highest honor anyone could ever get recognition for! I wish everyone could have been in the office with me, for it is with the aid of numerous people that Lainey has continued to do so well.

The Christmas Bug!

As of today, Lainey weighs 15 lbs. 7 oz. (45th percentile), 26 3/4 inches long (85th percentile), and her head circumference is 17 1/2 (95th percentile)! In looking at the growth chart, Lainey is moving in the right direction ~ UP! Her lungs sounded clear and everything looked wonderful. Dr. Onal is confident that she is physically developing fine, but may be a little behind due to her month-long hospitalization. Mentally, all seems perfect (Duh, look at the size of her head...it is holding a BIG brain!!) We are blessed to have such a "perfect" baby girl! Our Lainey Bug makes Cystic Fibrosis look Good!

Lainey and Mommy checking out the tree!

Friday I will be going back to the doctor. One only knows what tests or meds they will put me through this time, but hopefully something will help with finding the cause of my aliments.

With the Christmas season all around us, my camera is sure to use several dozen AA batteries! Keep checking back for pictures, as I will post pictures regularly.

Thank you with "enzymes on top" for all of your thoughts, prayers, words of encouragement, and generosity! We love you!

Love Always,

The Smithsons

Blessings

Who was that overweight man by the Christmas tree?

Now that I am finished stuffing my face with Thanksgiving yummies, I am finally free to update everyone on our most thankful Thanksgiving. Although dad and grandma Lil were sick with the stomach bug (Logan and I began spreading it several weeks ago) and it was cold and rainy, we had a wonderful time camping at Stone Mountain! We arrived and set up our campsite just in time for dinner Tuesday evening. After eating a wonderful meal made by grandma Lil, we were actually able to go to bed by 10:30!! The next morning came quickly along with the news that both dad and grandma Lil were up all night with the stomach bug! With that, our camper became "hang-out" away from sick people!

On Thursday everyone was feeling well enough to eat a full Thanksgiving feast. Dayna, Brad, and Lilly Anne joined Sid, Logan, Liam, Lainey, mom, dad, grandma Lil, grandpa Bob, Uncle Donn, Aunt Jenny, Emily, Erin, Evan, Elizabeth, and I for Thanksgiving dinner. We were like the original Indians and pilgrims ~ eating outside at a long wooden table with a feast of food fixed using numerous methods of preparation! Note * campers have ovens and stoves, but not big or durable enough to handle a Thanksgiving feast. Luckily our campsites were equipped with big grills ~ ideal for our cooking minus the fact we had to do the cooking outside!

After a day full of compiling lists of items I wanted to purchase, I was up and shopping by 7:00 on Friday! Fortunately not many people that live close to Stone Mountain park were interested in shopping! I was able to get everything I wanted and did not even have to wait in line at the register....and I was at Wal-Mart and Target! I saved a lot of money and almost completed my Christmas shopping within a few hours....now for my least favorite thing ~ wrapping!

We were thrilled to have Sid's grandparents, Dick and Juanita, come to visit us in Stone Mountain. On their way to Florida for the winter from their home in Michigan, Dick and Juanita came to see our family and to meet Lainey for the first time! It is always great to see them although it is not as often as we would like! :(

It began raining mid afternoon on Friday and continued through our packing, our trip home, and the remainder of the day on Saturday. We had a wonderful time with our family and camping at Stone Mountain, but it is always great to be back home.

The Smithson Elves

After much convincing from the kids and I, Sid got the decorations out of the attic and began putting up the tree on Saturday evening! I am not sure who is more excited about Christmas this year, Sid and I or the kids! Logan and Liam are really into making Christmas lists this year. Their understanding of Santa and the true meaning of Christmas with the birth of Jesus is more apparent than ever. The innocence of a child at Christmas is priceless.

Buggy Claus!

I have added the video below as a reminder of the things our family is thankful for. This year has been full of emotions ~ happiness, sadness, anger, helplessness, jealousy, fear, awe, wonder, numbness, loneliness, amazement, hopefulness, and so many more emotions that continue to be with our family daily. The support of our family, friends, and people we don't even know, has been the greatest of all blessings. We are eternally thankful for everyone who has and continues to keep our family in their thoughts and prayers. It is our mission to share our story with as many people as possible in order to spread awareness of Cystic Fibrosis. We hope that Lainey will be able to tell her children and grandchildren that she had CF, but with the help of others CF now stands for Cure Found. Please consider making a donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation ~ 90 cents of each dollar donated is used directly for research purposes. Donations in Lainey's honor can be made at: http://www.cff.org/GiftReg/DeAnnSmithson

** Before watching the video, scroll to the bottom of the web page to pause the music. The pause button is on the top left of the music playlist.**

Sincerely,

The Smithsons

Good Times

1998 ~ 10 year class reunion, November 22, 2008.

Sid and I with one of my 8th grade boyfriends, Skipper Brown, and his wife Karley.

This weekend Sid and I attended my 10 year high school reunion. After months of planning the reunion with several of my classmates, it finally all came together! It was great seeing some of my classmates that I haven't seen in 10 years! Many still looked the same, while others had changed dramatically!

Our D.J. was awesome, bearing lottery tickets as prizes for the categories game. Sid and I happened to win 2 categories! We have been married the longest (6 1/2 years) and we have the most children! These are not exactly what I thought my winning categories would be as I graduated 10 years ago, but I am proud of these accomplishments.

Sid was especially excited to meet several of my past boyfriends! While adorning my picture on his name tag, Sid was approached by two of my eighth grade boyfriends. Wow, talk about awkward...especially since Sid works with one of them at the hospital and neither of them knew they had me as a connection!

We thoroughly enjoyed our child-free evening at the reunion. At this point, our ideal child-free evening would be getting in bed by 9:00 and sleeping in until 8:00! This MAY happen in about 18 years! As for my parents, AKA the babysitters, they were glad to offer their services. Next time they would prefer their hot water heater was working! They had to bring the kids to our house so they could all have a warm bath. In addition, they would probably prefer the kids' bedtime to be before we left for the evening! Watching the three of them is not an easy task!

As for mom, her visit to Emory on Wednesday went well. She will begin her breathing treatments again soon. She has been instructed to begin slowly and work her way back up to a comfortable dosage. Although the doctors do no think this is the solution to mom's problems, this is what she will need to do until science has more to offer. The pains in her arms and chest are just occurrences due to pulmonary hypertension. They have also prescribed an inhaler to assist in her breathing. She will go back again next month for a follow up.

Dayna, Brad, and Lilly Anne were discharged from the hospital on Thursday. On Friday Lilly Anne went to the doctor for a checkup only to find out that her bilirubin was elevated. She had a bili bed in front of the window for the weekend. This allowed her to microwave enough to lower her levels dramatically. With a little supplementing of formula mixed with some breast milk, she is well on her way to sleeping in her own bed (rather than the bili bed.)

As many already know, I love teaching. The love for kids and teaching them skills for life runs in our family. Today I was nominated for teacher of the year along with 2 other teachers. This is a great honor. This is only my 3rd year at Fair Street, 7th year of teaching, and to know others are aware of my love for the children at our school humbles me. Although I was not ultimately chosen as our teacher of the year, I feel as though I am one step closer to my personal goal. Sharing my love for teaching through my actions toward the students as well as my coworkers is truly my calling. One day I hope to follow in my mother's footsteps, becoming teacher of the year for my school and possibly for the entire system. My mom has always been an inspiration. I have big shoes to fill and many footsteps to catch up with, but I look forward to the day I can walk along with my mom. She is an amazing woman!

I received a letter from my endocrinologist, only to find out that my Prolacin levels (lactating when I am no longer nursing) are still elevated! I am instructed to continue taking the medications I have been taking for a month and a half. No other test results have been presented, therefore either of two things could have happened. One, she may not have had the blood run for anything other than my prolactin levels, or she has not had the time to look at the other results in order to let me know what to continue or discontinue. I see a second opinion in my near future!

For Thanksgiving our family will be at Stone Mountain. We are taking our camper and meeting up with mom and dad, grandpa Bob and grandma Lil, Uncle Donn and Aunt Jenny and their 4 kids. Mom and dad left on Sunday and took Lainey Bug along! When the babysitters leave, you have no choice but to send the baby with them! I am not sure dad was prepared for the amount of things I packed for Lainey, but he grinned and loaded them up! It is amazing how the smallest person in the house requires the most stuff! We love camping and this will give Sid and I some much needed rest from our everyday hustle and bustle. The kids think the "Big Mountain" is awesome and have been ready to go since we mentioned it last week. On Thursday, Dayna, Brad, and Lilly Anne will join us for our Thanksgiving meal at our campsite. Mom and dad will be leaving Stone Mountain on Friday to go to Athens for the UGA vs. Georgia Tech game!

This year we have so much to be Thankful for. We are thankful for all of our friends, family, and people who follow our story with loving hearts and prayerful minds. We are thankful for our health. We are thankful for our two amazing little boys! We are thankful for the arrival of our little girl and to have her in our lives and our hearts. We are thankful for the numerous nurses and doctors that took care of Lainey in her most critical times. We are continuously thankful for the doctors who take care of Lainey on a regular basis. We are thankful for an overall healthy year for mom and dad. We are thankful to have parents that are able to care for our baby while we work and attend school. We are thankful for the safe arrival of many new babies in our lives, especially Lilly Anne! We are thankful for stability in our jobs and the ability to make it through the financially difficult time in our lives and in the country. Most of all we are Thankful to have God in our lives, for He is the reason we have everything else to be thankful for! Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Love Always,

The Smithsons

Lilly Anne is here!

Lilly Anne Kiley

November 18, 2008

7 lbs. 4oz.

20 inches long

Dayna had a fairly easy delivery today bringing our new niece, Lilly Anne, into this big world! Lilly Anne weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz. and was 20 inches long! Lilly Anne looks just like her daddy with the exception of having Dayna's nose. Currently she is taking after her mother and being very lazy...she doesn't want to make the effort it requires to get nourishment (the part getting nourishment is not like her mother!) Dayna waited until Mom and I could get to the hospital before pushing 4 times to deliver Lilly Anne. Although I have had 3 children myself, this was the first time I have witnessed a birth. Totally cool and truly amazing, but not enough for me to want anymore! I am so excited that Lainey has a cousin so close in age! They are sure to have a blast together, and if they are anything like Dayna and I, they will have each other to get in trouble with!

Thank you for all of your prayers!

Sincerely,

DeAnn

Woo Hoo!

"Who says you can't accessorize when you are asked to strip down to your diaper?!"

Today Lainey had her monthly checkup at the Cystic Fibrosis Center. Although initially she was frightened (as she is with most men), she quickly warmed up to her adopted great grandpa, Dr.Caplan! Everyone at the CF Center was amazed at how much she had grown and changed over the past month. The office was quite busy with several patients. This was the first time we have seen any patients in the waiting room. Seeing other patients was painfully difficult, as for today we saw a young girl who was wearing oxygen and was extremely thin. Seeing her reminded me of how devastating Cystic Fibrosis can be. I try not to worry about what I see or hear in relation to CF unless it is directly related to Lainey, but I can't seem to get the sight of this particular young girl out of my mind.

On a positive note, Lainey weighs 14 lbs. 15.8 oz! This is 1.2 oz away from a gain of 2 pounds in one month! Although this was a significant gain, she continues to be in the 30th percentile for weight. She grew almost one and one half inches! She is now 25.4 inches long, in the 60th percentile. Her height to weight ratio puts her into the 48th percentile ~ we are almost in the green (on target height to weight ratio)! Thanks to Gigi for feeding Lainey full of rice cereal, baby food, and formula all day, she is catching up!

Overall, Lainey's appointment went very well! Her lungs were clear, nasal congestion was cleared up, and her stool was solid for the first time ever! We are not changing anything with her medications because it is obvious by her weight gain that everything is doing what we want it to do ~ keeping her happy and putting meat on her bones!

We are totally thrilled with her appointment today! I feel as though we have accomplished a major task in keeping her healthy and getting her closer to the green in her height to weight ratio! Her next appointment at the CF Center is December 17th. We are hoping for another awesome report!

Your thoughts and prayers have been felt! Please continue to pray for Lainey and our entire family! We also want to thank our friends and family who have donated money to the CFF in Lainey's honor! You are true life savers and are our heroes! We appreciate your help in finding a cure to help Lainey and everyone else suffering from Cystic Fibrosis!

P.S. Sid and I will have a new niece, and Logan, Liam, and Lainey will have a new cousin ~ hopefully tomorrow! Please pray for Dayna and Brad during the birth of Lilly Anne! Check back for pictures!

With Love,

DeAnn and family

Firsts

"Too bad the weather is crummy and mom said I can't go out today... I am looking too cute!"

This week the Smithson family has had several "firsts." On Sunday Logan was invited to a classmate's birthday party at Skate Country. This was Logan's first time on skates and he thought he was going to just "take off!" Needless to say, he spent more time on the floor than standing, not to mention skating! Although he kept falling, with his will and mom's muscles, he kept getting up and trying again. By the end of the party, he could "walk-skate."

Logan James skating for the first time!
This is the only picture I was able to take with Logan standing up!

Although I am not sure I was ready for Lainey to reach this milestone, she began holding her bottle this week! Sid was not moving fast enough and Lainey was ravenous, so she grabbed the bottle from him and fed herself! At least we still have a while until she can take her enzymes without help!

This "Bug" was tired of waiting for her dad to give her what she wanted, so she took care of it herself! Dad better watch his wallet!

It is amazing what the removal of tonsils, adenoids, and ear wax can do for a non-English speaking 2-year-old! This week Liam started talking more and much clearer than ever! It is almost like he is hearing things for the first time and actually able to repeat words appropriately! He has called himself "Wawa" for several months and now can say Liam! Logan has been "Ogie" and Lainey has been "Beebee." Logan and Lainey Bug are two names he says several hundred times a day, although they are not always used in a nice manner! We are totally shocked by the dramatic change his speech has made. He seems much happier and less inclined to throw a fit now that he is able to communicate his wants, needs, and feelings! It is too bad the doctors will not remove tonsils until a child is two and one half!

Liam ~ "One tough cookie!"

Yesterday Lainey had her second dosage of Synagis. We had to weigh her at home and report her weight to the nurse in order for her to administer the correct dosage of Synagis. Lainey weighed in at 14 lbs. 8 1/2 oz! We are thrilled by this weight! Last month at Dr. Caplan's office, she weighed 13 lbs. 1 oz. This is a gain of almost one and one half pounds! On Monday we will be going back to the CF Center to see Dr. Caplan for Lainey's monthly check-up. At this time we will find out if she has gained any more weight. She loves eating rice cereal and baby food with added vegetable oil, which has proven to help her pack on some weight! Check back Monday evening for an update on our visit.

On Monday I will also go to the doctor to have repeat labs drawn. Hopefully we will learn something from these labs. If the meds I have been taking for a little over a month are doing what we intended them to do ~ increase iron levels, lower prolactin levels (breast milk release), raise vitamin D levels, higher estrogen levels, and higher kidney function ~ then I will feel like it has been worth the 5 pounds I've gained due to the meds! I am still not totally convinced that everything is okay, but I will wait to see what the tests reveal. I am continuing to lose an abundance of hair, feel light headed, have hot flashes, and have several pains associated with my right ovary and my kidney....did I mention weight gain? With all of this, I am trying to direct all of my time to the kids and making/monogramming things to keep my mind off of my health. Teaching 21 first graders and having 3 kids of your own, can help anyone take their mind off of any health issues they may be having! :) Until I get any results, I have more exciting things to think about....such as becoming an aunt!

Tuesday, Dayna is supposed to be induced and we will finally get to see Little Miss Lilly Anne! I will be posting pictures on Tuesday if Lilly Anne decides to let the pitocin do its trick!

On Wednesday, mom and dad are heading to Emory for their appointments with the Cardiologist. Mom has been experiencing odd pains in her arms and chest over the last several weeks. With the recent death of one of their close friends, they are in need of a check-up! Through David's death last week, just a little over a week from hanging with mom and dad at the Georgia/Florida game, we have learned that there are no guarantees to life. Both mom and dad have defied many odds. I have had many more years with them than many doctors have ever expected. Selfish as it may be, it has not been long enough! I am praying for a good report after their visit with Dr. Book.

Please continue to pray for Lainey, the boys, Sid and I, Dayna and Brad, Lilly Anne, and mom and dad! This week will bring a little more craziness into our lives, but we are ready to take it on! Thank you for your continuous lover, prayers, and support! We need it and truly appreciate it!

Love Always,

DeAnn and family