The Smithson Family

Lainey's Cystic Fibrosis Journey

2010-08-01T02:01:00.001-04:00

SNOW much fun!!

2010-01-09T16:33:00.006-05:00

Thanks to "anticipated" snow, the kids and I were released from school early on Thursday. As anticipated, the snow began around 2:30 and continued into the night. The next morning we woke up to a winter wonderland (well for Georgia this is a winter wonderland). No school on Friday! Woo Hoo!!

Snow on the house.

Snow in the front yard.

After Lainey laid down to take a nap, the boys and I went out to play in the snow. We played for about 2 hours. Thanks to our ski bibs, everything stayed warm except our face! We had to play as much as possible because we may not get another snow day in Georgia this year!

The boys playing in the playhouse.

Logan on the sled.

Logan James

Liam Scott

Liam trying to bend over but having a difficult time due to the numerous layers of clothing!

Logan in the playhouse.

Logan and Liam

Sledding Fun!

We had a blast and hope we have another snow day this year!!

Back to the Grind

2010-01-04T20:42:00.004-05:00

Well, it is over.......my break that is! Today was the kids' first day back to school and my first day back to work since December 18th! This morning went a little too smooth and I was sure the day was going to end in a disastrous event, but so far so good.....and the kids are in bed so we should be in the clear.

Sid and I rang in the New Year by sitting at the end of our bed watching Dick Clarke and drinking an amaretto sour........and listening to Liam beg to go to Time Square because he "really like(s) balloons!" Shortly after the we rang in 2010, Sid went to bed because he was scheduled to work in ICU new year's day.....bound to be a happenin' place after all of the new year's eve parties! Liam and I stayed up and danced to some of the music groups that performed for the Las Vegas New Year's Party. Liam crashed around 1:00 am and I called it a day shortly after. Woo Hoo.....another eventful new year's eve at the Smithson household!

With the new year, brought the dropping of Lainey's Deeming Waiver Medicaid. We have applied, been denied, appealed the denial, denied again, requested a court hearing, and denied a court hearing......now Lainey has been dropped! So, here we go again! I am currently working on a new application for the Deeming Waiver, the same thing she was just denied several times. I will become their worst nightmare until Lainey is approved. It is totally ridiculous that I actually work, pay my bills, have insurance, and take care of my child.......yet get no assistance with her astronomical medical bills, medications, and supplements. Ugh! I am sure if I quit working, got rid of my husband, stopped paying my bills, and no longer took care of my children, everything would be handed to me with no questions asked! I really could gripe about this for hours, but instead I am going to spend that time filling out all of the required paperwork so that Lainey's case is heard again! Since she can only yell a handful of words, someone has to be her advocate!

This year I am just asking for good health....for everyone in our home!! Hopefully 2010 will be a ton better than 2009!

Now, I am off to keep my resolution of exercising....Wii Fit, Here I come!

DeAnn

Time Flies!

2009-12-28T17:30:00.000-05:00

So, no excuses.......well, other than I have been enjoying the kids, going on vacations, monogramming a ton, house sitting for my parents, teaching, getting back into school routines, visiting the hospital with Lainey, and Christmas shopping!

This past summer flew by so quickly that I am not sure if I even took a breath! This first half of the school year is already gone....and I don't really know where I have been! I haven't blogged since the little minute of down time I had while we were vacationing at the beach. I am not sure if I even know where to begin! So, if you feel so inclined to sit down and catch up on life at the Smithson household, then prepare yourself for about half an hour of reading and a gazillion pictures!!!
Since my last post, The Graduate, Sid has graduated, received his diploma, and passed the National Boards for Nursing. He will begin his RN program sometime early next year. He is still currently working in ICU, and we are hoping that he soon gets some assignments that pay a little more.....especially with the hefty day care bill, which I will mention later in this post. Sid's schedule is much better than it has ever been, with him working 3 days early in the week, leaving a day or two for overtime and then having the weekends off! The kids are really enjoying having dad home more!

At the end of June, we vacationed in Flagler Beach, Florida for two weeks! The first week of our vacation Sid had to work, so Papa Dan drove the camper, the 3 kids, and I to Florida. The second week Sid joined us for some much needed R & R! We also had a wonderful visit from Sid's dad, Noel! He drove from Texas to Florida to hang with us for a few days. It is always great to visit with everyone at the beach. After leaving the beach, we headed up to Jacksonville, Florida to visit with more family for the 4th of July. We camped at my Uncle David and Aunt Nina's house on the St. John's River. They know how to throw a great party! Below are a few pictures of our trip!

Our camper at Gamble Rogers State Recreation Park in Flagler Beach, Florida.

My niece, Lilly Anne......hangin' out in the kiddie pool.

The Free Bug - Lainey after a long, sandy day at the beach.

Sid's 36th birthday party at the beach.

My sister, Dayna and brother-in-law, Brad. This was our date night without the kids at Snack Jack!

Dayna and I at the Pirate's Cove Mini Golf.

Lainey, Liam, and Logan on the beach.

The Three Stooges!

Mommy's Surfer Girl

My parents - aka: Papa and Gigi

My Grandma Lil hanging out by the pool at Uncle David and Aunt Nina's house on the 4th of July.

After our two week trip to Florida, we only had a few weeks left of our summer break. We spent our time staying busy with shopping for back to school, birthday parties, swimming, and camp!

While we were shopping, Logan found this cute BUG!

Lainey and Kaylah - Kaylah's 1st birthday!

Kaylah's brother, Dawson, also had his birthday party at the same time and he turned 5!

Logan enjoying Dawson and Kaylah's party at the park!

Lainey floating around the pool - Aaaaahhh, the life of a 1 year old!

Liam's new addition for a little over 8 weeks! Of course he won't hurt himself when jumping off of the top bunk......that is what he said, but that was not the case! It was not a matter of IF Liam would ever break a bone, it was a matter of WHEN! And we are sure this won't be the last time!

Dawson and Logan went to Camp Elachee and had a blast!

Dawson(5), Logan(5), Liam(3), Kaylah(12 months), and Lainey(13 months)

I babysat Dawson and Kaylah on the last day of camp....needless to say, I got a lot of stares with this crew of 5!!

Liam at Build-A-Bear for Reagan's 3rd birthday party.

Liam and Reagan

Lainey at Reagan's party

The birthday cake was awesome!!

In August the kids and I started back to school. Logan started kindergarten and Liam and Lainey started day care. Although Liam was use to day care, Lainey was not. We were worried to death about the amount of germs she would be exposed to at the day care. She took to day care instantly and looked forward to going every day. We were happy that she settled in so well, although our $1000 per month day care bill didn't settle so well with us!! I guess you gotta do whatcha' gotta do!!

Logan's first day of kindergarten.

Shortly after school started, it was time for Gainesville's annual Touch-A-Truck. The boys have always loved going to Touch-A-Truck. Despite all of the loud horns, Lainey also enjoyed it!

Logan testing out the front seat of an ambulance.

Liam sporting a Hall County Fire Department helmet!

The boys!

Watch out....Liam and Logan driving the sanitation truck may lead you somewhere other than the dump!

Lainey enjoying the view from her stroller!

For Labor Day, my sister Dayna, her husband Brad, and their daughter Lilly, joined our family for a weekend of camping at River Forks Park in Gainesville. Mom and dad finally got home from their month and a half long trip and visited for a few meals at the camp ground. The kids were so glad to see Gigi and Papa!

My niece, Lilly Anne

Papa and Lainey

Of course Gigi and Papa made it back into town for the beginning of the football season for the University of Georgia. Since they are members of the Bulldog RV Club in Athens, we joined them for a few pre-game tailgating parties! Their motor home is the place to be before a Georgia home game!

Lainey and Gigi

Lainey sporting her Georgia gear!

Lainey had several CF visits, but on September 21st she had her first major check-up. This visit consisted of labs, chest x-rays, urine analysis, and lung function tests. All things checked out great and she had even gained a considerable amount of weight!

Waiting on the doctor!

Lainey getting into things.....NO!! Not Lainey!! She would never get into anything!! Ha!

Lainey participated in her first CF walk in Athens, Georgia on October 17th. Our team, Life for Lainey and Lanie, had many supporters. Although the weather was not to be desired, rainy and cold, we still had a great time! Our team was in the top 5 for raising the most money! Woo Hoo! We learned a lot through participating in this walk and know what we need to do for future walks to aid in raising more money. Thank you to everyone who supported Lainey with a donation. I still have some thank you notes that you should be getting in the mail soon!! I guess it is better Late than Never!

Team Life for Lainey and Lanie

Lainey and Lanie - read about how we met Lanie's family here!

Lainey and Lanie at their CF walk.

I made their shirts since we couldn't find any small enough for them.

Check out my monogramming blog here!

The VIP!

Gigi and Liam at Loco's after the CF walk.

The last week in October, our family, my birth mother and her husband, and my nephew went on a Disney Cruise. This cruise was our 2008 Christmas present from Carolyn and David. What a Christmas present!!! We had a blast! If these pictures make you want to go on a cruise, just let me know - Carolyn and David have a travel business - LML Travel - they would be glad to hook you up!!

The Disney Wonder

Lainey, Liam, and Sid at the Cast Away Party!

Mason, Liam, and Logan watching Cinderella on the Big screen.

Lainey enjoying the view of Nassau while eating her breakfast!

Nassau, Bahamas

Sid and I in the Bahamas!

Trick-or-Treating on the cruise.....Logan the Transformer!

Spider Liam

Fairy Lainey and I

The Boys

Lainey

Chip and Dale with Logan, Lainey, Sid, and Liam

Logan

The Cast Away Cay......Disney's private island.

Lainey in her yellow polka dot bikini!

Pirate Logan.....Pirate night on the cruise!

Lainey enjoying her hot dog.

On Noverember 18th, my niece Lilly Anne turned 1! Dayna and Brad had a big celebrarion for Lilly Anne!! We had a blast celebrating with our sweet Lilly Anne.

Lainey at Lilly Anne's party!

Lilly Anne's cool birthday cake!

Dayna, Lilly Anne, and Brad

Lilly Anne digging into her cake!

Logan's kindergarten class had a Thanksgiving program and it was wonderful. He was a Pilgrim and had 2 speaking parts! The program was so cute and I was a very proud mommy!!

Pilgrim Logan James

Logan's kindergarten class

Logan

For the Thanksgiving break we decided to go to Stone Mountain Park with my parents, my grandparents, my sister's family, and my aunt and uncle and their family. My sister and I are teachers and with the deficit in Georgia the teachers have been furloughed 3 days. Two of our furlough days happened to fall the week of Thanksgiving, allowing for a long vacation! Woo Hoo for long vacations, Boo Hoo for smaller pay checks!!

This much needed vacation turned into everything but a vacation. We arrived at Stone Mountain Park on Sunday, November 22 and ended up at the Children's Healthcare Of Atlanta ER with Lainey on the same day. Lainey was running a fever of 101.8, her oxygen was 89, her nose was runny, eyes were watering, her skin was gray, she was whiney, and she was coughing a ton. After failing the initial outpatient assessment, they sent Lainey for a chest x-ray. The chest x-ray was horrible. They admitted her right away. Our stay lasted for 19 days!!! Lainey had pneumonia, the flu, staph, MRSA, pseudomonas, and other bacterias in her right lung. She had a bronchoicscope, but it was no good due to a miscommuntication between the lab and the microbiology team. They were unable to grow any of the bacteria due to this mishap. The first week of treatment was also no good. They started from scratch with new antibiotices the second week and had huge improvements. While Lainey was in the hospital she became the proud new owner of a Smart Vest. She does vest therapy 4 times a day for 30 minutes each time. She also has Albuterol, saline, and Pulmozyme nebs to do several times a day. Needless to say, Lainey no longer goes to day care! We are currently looking for someone to come into our home to care for her while we are working....and that is not an easy task! Here are some pictures from her hosptial stay.....they are small because I took them with my cell phone!

November 22 - ER

1st day at Egleston

Vest Therapy with mom!

Hanging out in the hospital crib!

Lainey telling her baby "shhhhh..."!

Lainey and Resident McDreamy

Lainey - Smitten after hanging out with Resident McDreamy!

Lainey in one of her many cute Christmas outfits!

Lainey watching TV from the rocking chair in her room.

Lainey and her froggy

Watching TV again!

Lainey visiting with her brother!

Well, our wish came true and we made it home from the hospital before Christmas. The kids, Sid, and I had a lovely Christmas with our family. We all got way more than we needed, but were truly blessed to be able to spend the season with the ones we love. This year was a blast at our house on Christmas Day. The kids are now at an age where they are starting to enjoy all the hype of Santa and their gifts on Christmas morning! After spending the morning at our house, we went to Gigi and Papa's house to hang with them as well as Dayna, Brad, and Lilly Anne. The day after Christmas we went to Grandma Dorothy and Pop's house and then to Grandpa Bob and Grandma Lil's house. It was great seeing all of our family. We are lucky and truly blessed to have such a close-knit family.

Our Christmas Tree

Gifts!!

Liam opening his presents.

Lainey in her new treament chair!

Logan and Liam opening their BIG gift!!

WOO HOO!! A trampoline!! Thank you Gigi and Papa Santa!!

Logan and his new Handy Manny motorcycle!

Lainey and Daddy opening gifts

Lainey Bug playing with her new toys

Logan posing in front of his loot!

Lilly Anne standing on her presents!

Lainey Bug!!

My parents....aka: Gigi and Papa

Ok, so I hope your eyes aren't bleeding from reading this long post! This about sums up the past 6 months in the life of the Smithsons. It is my new year resolution to keep this blog up to date. A big thank you to everyone for everything you have done for us this year! We are truly blessed to know each and every one of you. We hope that everyone has a wonderful finish to 2009 and a beautiful beginning to 2010!!

With Love,

DeAnn

The Graduate!

2009-06-30T11:15:00.004-04:00

Well.....Sid finally graduated from nursing school! On Friday, June 19th Sid graduated with his LPN. Currently he is still working in ICU at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, but is looking into working in other areas of the hospital. We are all so proud of him and his hard work! It was great to hear Logan shout, "Woo Hoo! Way to go Dad!" when they called Sid's name and he walked across the stage!

So' it has been a while since I have posted anything and for that, I am sorry! I thought I would have more time this summer, but I haven't had one free second! Currently we are at the beach, and actually I have already been here with the three kids for 12 days! Sid got here 4 days ago. We are having a blast and I will be posting pictures soon!

DeAnn

Capping and Pinning

2009-06-02T11:05:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Sid participated in the ceremonial capping and pinning for nursing school. Although it is part of graduation, the official graduation will be on June 19th. Logan, Liam, Lainey, and I went tot he ceremony to cheer for daddy! Sid was one of the only men in his class full of women! He has worked hard for this LPN degree, but we have too! We have had to live without him(in a sense) for a year!!

The ceremony took about an hour and a half, but for the most part the kids were really good. Lainey was in a busy and talkative mood. She moved in my lap the entire time! Liam was good for the first half, but soon became annoyed with all of the clapping, hooting, and hollering! It took all I had to catch and cover his mouth before he yelled, "Stop all that clapping!" Of course Logan was fine because he drew and colored the whole time!

Here are a few pictures of Sid in his nursing gear at graduation!

Sid with his Florence Nightingale lamp!

Sid and his classmates ~

it was dark, so many of my pictures did not turn out! Blah!

Sid and the Bug!

Beautiful Bug in her new dress!

Daddy's girl!

We are proud of you Sid!! Woo Hoo, you graduated before the kids went off to college!!

DeAnn

A SMASHING Day!!

2009-05-31T16:00:00.001-04:00

Lainey had a "Smashing" Good time at her birthday party! About 4 dozen of our friends and family came out to the park to help Lainey celebrate her first birthday. We were fortunate to have really nice weather ~ not too hot, not too cold, and NOT raining!

Lainey sported her new birthday dress I made her and enjoyed being passed from one guest to another! Everyone enjoyed a meal of BBQ sandwiches, chips, salsa, and birthday cake. Lainey just REALLY enjoyed the cake!!

Although I am still working on getting all of the birthday donations in, so far Lainey has raised $475 for her Great Strides walk in October. Everyone was very generous with their donations and the cute gifts they gave her. All I can say is that she will be one "stylin" chick this summer!!

Presents and donations galore! Thank you everyone for being so generous!

Lainey's friend Reagan.

Campbell and her mommy, Josie!

Dawson

Josie and Campbell, Lainey and I ~ I am not feeling too well in this picture since I had a 103 temperature!!

Lainey opening presents.

Lainey wearing her new Life is Good hat! Thanks Aunt Dayna, Uncle Brad, and Lilly Anne!

Lainey playing with her new little baby doll!

We had a great time and are thankful for the many friends and family that came out to celebrate with our sweet princess. A year ago we were unsure what this year may bring in relation to Lainey's Cystic Fibrosis. We are happy to report that this year, aside from the "normal" milestones, has been quite an uneventful year with Lainey's health. Although having a child with CF is a never ending job that requires a lot of demanding routines and practices, we are appreciative of everything she has taught us. We hope that she has many more uneventful years in relation to her health.

Thank you to everyone who made a donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation! With your help, we are going to beat CF!! Your donations have added years to Lainey's life, and for that we are forever grateful!

Love,

DeAnn

PS ~ For anyone who wondered if I was going to live to see another day since I looked so awful at the party, I did live and I feel much better! Mom took me to the ER on Sunday....103.1 fever, Strep Throat, Urinary Tract Infection, IV fluids, IV Antibiotics, a couple hours of resting on the gurney, Prescription antibiotics 4 times per day for 10 days, and Wa La! I am feeling like a person again.......a person that will live to see another day!! I truly appreciate every one's help at the party since I wasn't quite myself!!

Baby Cakes

2009-05-21T13:37:00.004-04:00

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY LAINEY!!!

We love you Lainey Bug!

Mostly FUN Times!!!

2009-05-19T14:52:00.009-04:00

Well, prepare yourself for another long post......

This time of the year is always super busy for me as a teacher, mother, and monogrammer! I have started another blog that consists of pictures and prices of the things I make and monogram in my spare time!! Check it out here! I have had numerous orders lately for end of the year teacher, student, and graduate gifts, not to mention the gifts for all the babies being born!! Working until 1:00 every morning to finish these projects has left little to no time to post, read, or comment on my blog or anyone other blogs!

This is the last week of the 2008 - 2009 school year.....and boy am I glad! My class has been the best class I have ever had in the 7 years I have been teaching school, but I am tired! I didn't realize what having a third child would do to me, much less having a sick third child. I literally hit the ground running every morning around 5:30 and usually get in bed at midnight, 1:00 if I am working on a monogramming job! Making 3 different stops to get the kids where they need to be before I get to work each morning makes me tired before I truly begin my day. Teaching 21 first grade students, then picking up my own children, leaves a full day with children!!! Hopefully I can spend some quality time with my own children this summer.....and hopefully I won't be ready to go back to work before the month of June begins! :)

Field Day 2009 ~ in the pouring down rain!!

Eric, the Froot Loop Boy!
I think this is one of the most interesting field day games......shower cap on head, goggles on eyes, Cool Whip on head, sitting in a chair......a big bowl of Froot Loops......racing to see how many Froot Loops stick to the person's head....team with the most is the winning team!!

Logan, Liam, Lainey, and I went to Jack's second birthday, and boy was it interesting! It was already a crazy day....any time you try to get somewhere with 3 little kids, it is crazy! The party was a blast until Liam fell into the pool.....and it was NOT a swimming party! I was too far away, so another parent had to rescue him from the pool! Needless to say, he didn't get near it for the rest of the party!

Lainey at Jack's birthday party

Liam after his "dip."

Jack ~ the birthday boy!

Logan James playing with the bubbles.

On Mother's Day, my niece Lilly was baptized. Luckily I had bought several christening dresses when I was pregnant, in hopes that I would have a baby girl! Unfortunately, I soon found out that I was pregnant with a boy ~ Liam! So, when I had Lainey baptized I used one dress and had one extra....perfect for Lilly Anne! I also made her a cute bow with a cross in the middle to match her beautiful dress! Everyone at church just loved her contagious smile!

Lilly Anne and Dr. Walton

Miss Lilly Anne

Overall, Mother's Day was great. Sid had to work, so I spent my day with my sister and her family, my parents, and my kids. After church we had a yummy lunch at my parents and just enjoyed having another Mother's Day with my mom.

The following Monday was not so lovely! Lainey caught a cold from my mom. She was not drinking and barely urinating. She was quickly dehydrating and coughing a very deep, wet cough. The doctors in town told us to take her to the ER at Egleston, and Dr. Caplan agreed. After 3 hours in the waiting room, several assessments, a chest x-ray, a popsicle, and a wet diaper, 5 hours after we arrived and many germs later, we were released to go home. Lainey is now on antibiotics and she is doing much better!

The Hospital BUG!

On Friday, Logan James Smithson "Love" graduated from pre-k! All of the kids were so cute, but I don't think I could ever teach pre-k kids.....too much energy!

Graduation Rocks!

Logan and his girlfriend, Leigh!

Nolan and Logan

Logan's Pre-k class!

Woo Hoo!! He has made it through his first year of "Big Kid" school!

My love......looking more like his daddy everyday!

Monday was Lainey's monthly CF appointment. Although she has not been drinking much of her formula, or anything for that matter, she still managed to gain 9 oz. She now weighs 20 lbs 9.2 oz. She grew an inch, now measuring in at 29 1/2 inches! Due to her growth spurt in height, she continues to be in the green zone! YEA!

She has some congestion and the nurse could hear it in her chest. She told us to do more "pats" throughout the day as we felt necessary. Lainey was really good and only cried when the nurses and Dr. Caplan held her down on the table!

Now she is able to drink whole milk with Carnation Instant Breakfast....which helps to pack on the weight like the formula did! Since Lainey is doing so well, Dr. Caplan said we do not need to come back for another 6 weeks! We are now going from monthly visits to 6 week visits!!!

Miss Lainey

The new Lainey "look"!

Unbelievably enough, today one year ago, my princess was born! Today Lainey Bug is 1! Little did we know that God had a special plan for our baby and our family.

Check back for pictures......Hope you can come to Lainey's party on Saturday! Click here to see the invitation! :) Instead of gifts, we are asking that you make a donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Click here to donate!

DeAnn

You Are INVITED!!!

2009-05-18T09:48:00.003-04:00

HOLDING!!!!!

2009-05-06T23:00:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was my 29th birthday and I am holding on! I am not sure what this last year of my 20's will bring, but I think I am ready! There are too many awesome things I have accomplished, participated in, tried, experienced, and lived in my lifetime to list them all.....but here are a few of my favorite things and people!

Mexican Food

Margaritas

Family

My Children

My Friends

Mexican Food (did I say that already?)

El Sombrero

Me, after a LARGE frozen Texas margarita!!

Lainey was so hungry, she was eating the spoon!
(yes, this is Rudolph......she fell off the bed and got a carpet burned nose.....she was under her daddy's care!)

My silly mom (aka: Gigi)!

Dawson, Logan, and my dad (aka: Papa) eating!

Lilly Anne watching everyone eat!

Logan James celebrating Cinco de Mayo and his mommy's birthday!

Liam Scott with a spoon on his head?? You never know what this kid is thinking!!

Lainey was a little self-conscious about her nose, so she covered up the carpet burn with a little piece of cheese quesadilla!

I had an awesome birthday! Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes and wonderful gifts!!

DeAnn

Trying Three

2009-05-03T12:21:00.016-04:00

WoW! We have been so busy that every time I begin to Blog, I never get to a point where I am able to publish my post! Here is a post that should catch you up to speed on our CRAZY lives! This post will update the past two weeks and numerous adventures of The Smithson Family!

Friday a week ago (April 24th), Liam turned 3! He wanted to eat, “steak meat, chips, and cheese” for his birthday, so we went to El Sombrero for dinner. That is one of two places where he will actually EAT! The other place is Chick-fil-A, therefore that is where he had his party! Monday night, Liam and several of his friends, as well as some of our friends and family, gathered at Chick-fil-A for an eventful birthday party! It was so CRAZY that we waited until we got home to have Liam open his presents. He got so many cool toys! Thank you to everyone that attended Liam’s party. We really appreciate all of the awesome gifts! Now that Liam has seen the number 3 on his birthday cake, he believes us when we tell him he is no longer 2!

Liam and the Chick-fil-A cow!

Logan and the cow

Elizabeth and the cow!

Lainey checking out the cow!

Liam and his friend Brett ~ they are the reason why Brett's mom and I work!

Kaylah

Lanie ~ Lainey's friend who also has CF (read this previous blog)

Lanie's brother Landon

Last Saturday (April 25th) was Chris and Kelly’s wedding (Chris is my sister’s brother-in-law). The boys stayed with Papa Dan and Rachel, while my friend Jenn, Lainey, and I went to the wedding. Sid had to work and was unable to take off to go to the wedding. They got married at a beautiful house in Greensboro, Georgia. It took about one hour and forty-five minutes to get there, but we didn’t mind! The wedding was beautiful, Lainey was well-behaved, the food was yummy, the cupcakes were to die for, and the dancing was too funny to miss! Kelly was a beautiful bride.....and Chris looked cute, too (can’t leave him out)! Kelly had some wonderful smelling candles as favors......thank you for helping to mask the stinky CF diaper smell at my house!

Kelly and Chris

Lainey Bug

Tuesday (April 28th) we were scheduled to have our pictures taken for the Littlest Heroes Project. Everyone was home early from work and school, clothes were ironed, and all were dressed and off we went to the park to meet the photographer. Problem: The photographer wasn’t there. We waited for over half an hour, went to several parks incase she got lost, called her (no answer), emailed her, text messaged her, and still no photographer. As bummed as we were, we left and will wait to see if she contacts us again! I really wanted to have her pictures ready before her first birthday. As of now, we have yet to have our emails or phone calls returned!

Wednesday (April 29th) we went to Liam’s 3 year check-up! His weight was in the 75th percentile and his height was in the 50th percentile. He checked out well in all areas! Dr. Onal reminded us that SAFETY is the most important thing when caring for a 3 year old child! He can say that again because Liam is in to EVERYTHING! We have only called the poison control a few times (he took birth control, vitamin D, and an iron pill as well as drinking 1/3 of a bottle of Mucinex), there are a at least half a dozen bruises adorning his legs, he very rarely goes one day without a bump or cut on his face, and he is always sporting bite marks on his hand…..Don’t you bite yourself when you are mad?

Thursday (April 30th) began our series of birthday parties! Liam was invited to a party at Monkey Joe's. Sid and Liam went to the party while I attended a meeting at school. Yesterday I took the kids to 3 birthday parties!! We began at 10:00 with Brett’s party at the INK museum (Interactive Neighborhood for Kids), then Katelynn’s birthday party at 11:00 at the Hall County Humane Society, and finishing with Ajay’s birthday party at 2:00 at his house with the Bus Fair! Three birthdays, three cakes, three presents, three plates of food, and three tired children….and one worn out mommy!

Brett's 3rd birthday!

Katelynn's birthday party!

Katelynn turning 2!

Jenn, Ed, and Katelynn

Got cake?

Kaylah enjoying birthday cake!

Logan, Liam, and Dawson

Ajay's 4th birthday!

Lainey

Liam jumping on Ajay and Avery's jumper!

This next week will be just as crazy as the past! I will try to post, even if it is just pictures of our adventures! My birthday is on Tuesday, cinco de mayo! We have a birthday party to attend on Saturday, and then Mother’s Day and Lilly’s baptism on Sunday! We are also planning for Lainey’s First Birthday Bash! She has 17 days until her 1st birthday!! Oh yeah, She just began crawling this past week!! Enjoy the pictures and look for more from our week ahead!

DeAnn

Having A Ball!

2009-04-19T22:02:00.000-04:00

Friday was Lainey's 11 month clinic visit. She is finally in the GREEN!!! She was 20 pounds and .02 ounces! Her length was 28 1/2 inches, putting her BMI in the 50th percentile. The antibiotics she has been taking seem to be doing the trick. Dr. Caplan said her lungs sound clear! Yea! We will begin introducing Pediasure, again. This time we will put a little at a time into her bottle to gradually wean her from the formula. I will also begin introducing a sippy cup. It is a pet peeve of mine to see kids older than 15 months drinking out of a bottle, therefore I must begin working with Lainey. Dr. Caplan said that Lainey will come back next month for her 1 year checkup, then we can begin scheduling appointments a little further apart! I won't know what do not having to go to the CF Center every month!

As for now, all of Lainey's meds will stay the same. The only change in Lainey's routine is to begin introducing Pediasure.....after she finishes the antibiotics. Dr. Caplan is unsure about introducing whole milk since it only has 20 calories and due to the milk protein allergy Lainey had when she was in the hospital. We are hoping that she continues to gain a lot of weight now that she is eating table foods. Lainey is taking a liking to french fries ~ salty and fattening ~ just what the doctor ordered!

Lainey and Gigi

A not-so-happy Lainey! She was ready for everyone to leave her alone!

Lainey was a happy girl after everyone quit "bothering"her!

On Wednesday, Logan began PeeWee T-Ball! Although it is called PeeWee, Logan was not so "PeeWee" looking compared to the other children! This team is for 4 and 5 year old boys and girls. Logan just turned 5 but looks like an eight year old out on the field! After practice he said, "Mom I love t-ball and I learned a lot!" Unfortunately Liam is too young to play t-ball. He wanted to play with the big kids so bad that he threw a major fit! When all of the t-ball kids were off the field, my dad (aka Papa the Coach) called him out and told him to run around all of the bases! He was faster than any of the other kids! It was awesome because he crashed when we put him to bed!

Logan is wearing Papa's blue hat. They were learning to catch ground balls.

Liam played on the playground while Logan practiced!

Logan telling his new friends that his "name tag says that his name is Logan, but it is really Peter!" He wants his name to be Peter because he wants to be like Peter Pan!

On Saturday morning the Gainesville Parks and Recreation had their annual T-Ball, Softball, Baseball parade! It took longer to get the teams in groups than it did to see the complete parade from start to finish, but Logan had a blast. Liam and Lainey enjoyed watching their big brother walking in the parade!

Dawson and Logan at the parade.

There were 520 kids and 100 volunteer coaches!

Logan dancing to the music the DJ was playing!

Lainey watching all of the kids!

In addition to the fun time we had at the parade, my mom and I headed to a bridal shower and my dad took the boys to the park. Lainey was the hit of the party! Of course she smiled at everyone and chowed down on the homemade french toast!

This next week brings a lot of fun and not-so-fun things! Not-so-fun ~ CRCT testing! My first grade students will have to take a three hour test on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. BLAH! It is so hard for them to sit still for that long, since we only get one break in the middle of the test each day. Also, progress reports go home on Thursday, so I have a lot of work ahead! Fun ~ Lainey will be 11 months tomorrow. Time is flying by! Liam's birthday is Friday! I can't believe he will be 3! Liam is also going on a field trip to Elachee Nature Center with his day care class. We have been telling him that he will be able to go to camp this summer at Elachee if he goes pee pee and poo poo on the potty! Hopefully this trip will encourage him to use the potty so I can catch a break with buying diapers! This week also brings a wedding. My brother-in-law's brother is getting married. We love Chris and Kelly and are very excited for the two of them! It seems like just yesterday when they got engaged (although it was really July 4th)! The best thing of all ~ Sid's long clinical days are over! From now until he graduates, his clinicals will be 8 hours, so he will be finished with school Monday through Thursday by 3:00 in the afternoon! Now he will be able to go to Logan's t-ball practice and spend more time with the kids and I.

For now, I am off to my busy week! I will post pictures from our many events hopefully by Sunday!

DeAnn

Hoppy Easter!

2009-04-13T09:50:00.004-04:00

On Thursday I took the children to the mall for a picture with the Easter Bunny. By the time I had all of the kids dressed and we were walking out the door, Sid drove up. He was suppose to be completing his 12 hour clinical at our local Immediate Care, but was sent home due to illness. He complained about having a really bad headache on Wednesday, but it was so bad that it caused him to get sick. We left him to sleep in a quiet house while visiting with the Easter Bunny.

Even though the line was not very long, we had to wait FOREVER while the mother in front of us required at least 15 photos to be taken of her 1 child...his shirt was crooked, his hair was sticking up, his smile wasn't as big as she thought it should be, the bunny's bow was not formed properly, Blah, Blah, Blah! My kids were great even though we had to wait forever. When my kids were finally on the Easter Bunny's lap, Liam was not up for having his picture taken. Unlike the mother in front of me, I chose one of the first pictures taken and we were out of there!

Waiting in line to see the Easter Bunny.

The Smithson Children with the Easter Bunny 2009

At 3:30 am on Friday, Sid drove himself to the ER. My parents were out of town and I did not want to drag the kids to the ER at that time of day. I hated that he had to take himself, but I think Sid enjoyed the peace and quiet at the ER versus our house! After giving him a lot of fluids, a CT scan, morphine, and numerous other drugs, Sid was diagnosed with a "really bad" sinus infection! My friend Jenn came over to watch the children at 10:30 so that I could pick Sid up from the ER! We are glad to have him feeling better.......because when he is sick, it is like having 4 kids!

On Saturday Lainey began to sound very congested. You could feel the rattling by putting your hand over her chest. She was already on her second week of Bactrim and she sounded worse than before taking any additional medications. After calling Dr. Caplan, he called in another, much stronger prescription....Problem: too late to get the new medication because the pharmacy was closed! Needless to say, Lainey coughed ALL night! I barely slept because I was so worried about her. Lainey NEVER coughs and if she does, she is either faking (mocking my mom) or she is choking on food or formula. I caught myself checking her video baby monitor off and on every half an hour to an hour. After some intense chest physio therapy, she sounded much better.

Logan and Liam decided that their Easter Baskets should go on the rug in front of the door. This picture is after the Easter Bunny visited our house! The Easter Bunny knows that the boys do not need a bunch of candy and would rather have a few new toys! Lainey got some baby food and a movie...Logan decided the movie was really for the whole family, Lainey just had more room in her basket! Sid also got some goodies from Mrs. Bunny.....a huge jar of Gourmet Jelly Beans and some chocolate candies!

The boys were so excited about their Easter basket goodies! They played for a while before we got ready for church! We were actually on time for church! Getting three kids dressed and fed, myself dressed and fed, loaded into the car, and to church on time by myself is a HUGE deal! It felt great to sit down once I got settled into the pew....although we were practically sitting on top of each other! Lainey loved being in church with all of the music as well as sitting next to her Gigi and Papa! After church, my parents, my sister and her family, and the kids and I went to IHOP to eat. YUMMY!

Lilly Anne eying some sausage!

Lainey waiting on her food.

Logan sporting his shark necklace (no he did not wear a t-shirt to church, I made him change before going to eat strawberry syrup!)

Lainey scarfing up egg and pancake!

After eating a yummy brunch at IHOP we all went back to Gigi and Papa's house. The Easter Bunny brought a gift to their house.....another movie for the boys! The boys watched movies while the rest of us hung out and took a few pictures!

Brad, Dayna, and Lilly Anne

Lainey and Gigi

The Girls!

Lainey, me, Gigi, Lilly Anne, and Dayna

(This is a good DIET picture....it gives me even more motivation!)

Liam found Gigi's jelly beans!

We had a great day celebrating Jesus' life and his forgiving of our sins. Now it is back to work and school for the kids and I. Only 29 days left of school! Woo Hoo!!!

Lainey sporting her Baby Leg tights!

Well, That's ALL Folks! Have a good week! :)

DeAnn

Spring Fun!

2009-04-09T09:59:00.002-04:00

It is that time of year again....Spring Break! Only, this kind of weather is not that of Spring! Yes, rain, 60 degree weather, pollen, and a week out of school is an indication that spring is here, but SNOW and freezing temperatures?

Our plan to camp at Stone Mountain park during part of our Spring Break was with hopes of good weather. When we left town on Thursday, we were far from having good weather! With thunderstorms, flooding, and tornado warnings, our vacation had an interesting start. Thanks to my dad, our camper was already set up in our camping spot when my parents, the kids, and I arrived at Stone Mountain around 9:00 Thursday evening. Sid was scheduled to work on Friday, therefore we left him at home!

It was rainy all day on Friday and I was stuck in the camper with 3 kids...one which was feeling less than par. Lainey looked as if she had pink eye and was running a low grade fever which caused her to be very sleepy. After a call to her CF doctor, Dr. Caplan, we had a prescription for eye drops and Bactrim. Sid finally made it to Stone Mountain around 8:45 and boy was I happy to see him!

On Saturday we had beautiful weather. Our friends Cindy and Sean, along with their kids Dawson and Kaylah joined us for a day of fun at Stone Mountain. We had a blast meeting Bob and Larry from the Veggietales, making bugs, riding the train, picnicing, shopping, watching the Back Yard Circus, grilling out, and viewing the Laser Show. The best part was when we tried to fit 11 people into my Ford Expedition EL! It is designed to seat 8 people...we managed to fit 11 and we could have fit more! We had about a 2 mile drive within the park to get from our camp site to the Laser Show lawn, so we were not cramped for long. Yes, we could have driven 2 cars, but it is VERY hard to park...plus my mother has a handicap pass, making parking a breeze! Sid and Sean sat in the front, Papa, Lainey, and Liam sat in the middle, Gigi, Dawson, Cindy, Kaylah, Logan, and I sat in the last row, and we filled the back with a wagon, double stroller, and a gazillion blankets! I think it took us loner to get in and out of the car than it did for the 30 minute Laser Show, but we had a ball!

Sunday was much colder, but the sun was out for most of the day. We took my parents over to Stone Mountain park and did a little shopping and playing. Everyone started breaking down around 1:00 because they were cold and hungry, so we went back to our campers. Shortly after we ate lunch Lainey began acting sick again. She started throwing up and was running a fever. Needless to say, she did not hold down much and was very lethargic. Sid watched Lainey and the boys during their nap time, while mom and I went to Target! We rarely get to go shopping without kids and it was so much fun to get out by ourselves!

Monday Lainey was still feeling crummy, but not throwing up. We had to call Eileen, our Littlest Heroes Project photographer, to cancel our session. I really wanted to have our pictures taken, but I wanted Lainey to feel up to it, plus it was super cold outside. The wind was blowing 45 miles per hour and it was 42 degrees! My sister and her husband had dropped Lilly Anne off at mom and dad's motor home around 9:00 while they went to Brad's pre-op. We all ate dinner together and I got some cute pictures of the girls, Gigi and Papa, and all the grandkids! I also managed to fit in a trip to Hobby Lobby, Marshalls, and T.J. Maxx(of course this was when the kids were taking a nap.)

Brad and Dayna left around 5:00 Tuesday morning for his surgery. Sid left for school shortly afterwards. The kids and I were in for the morning due to extremely cold weather and SNOW! Snow on Spring Break is wrong! I packed up the camper while the kids played, watched movies, and ate, and ate, and ate! Sid finally got back from school around 2:15. He worked on hitching the camper to the Expedition, putting away hoses, and preparing to leave while I took the boys to roast marshmallows and make smores. The boys had a bunch of firey, sticky, chocolaty, sugar high of a time! We hated to leave, but Sid had to be back for his 12 hour clinical on Wednesday and Thursday, and work again on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. BLAH!

Brad's surgery went well. The doctor pulled 4 teeth and removed a large portion of his lower jaw bone. He was lucky in that the tumor was contained to one area. For two weeks he will be out of work and they will begin looking into options for replacement teeth. Dayna and Brad are very glad to have this tumor removed and the surgery out of the way. He is doing well and hanging out at home while vegging on ice cream and pain meds!

Well, just a few more days left of my Spring Break and then back to the grind! I had so many pictures from our Stone Mountain trip, that I made a slide show. Enjoy the pictures!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

DeAnn

A "Rock'in " Party and a much needed BREAK!

2009-04-02T01:10:00.019-04:00

This past weekend, our family went to a "Rock'in" 1st Birthday Party! Campbell Rock turned 1 and we were there to help her celebrate. Campbell's mom, Josie, and I were in kindergarten together. We always had a blast and we NEVER got into any trouble!

For Campbell's 1st Birthday it was asked of the guests to donate money for Lainey's cause at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in lieu of gifts. This was such an honor! At the party, Sid told a little about Lainey's journey with Cystic Fibrosis, but not without shedding a few tears. Retelling, hearing, thinking about, subtle reminders of, and the reality of what Lainey has been through in these past 10 1/2 months along with the nagging monsters of CF pulling at your strings on a minute by minute basis, will bring me to tears. Sharing Lainey's story is very important to us, as well as Lainey's future. We truly appreciate Josie, Marcus, and Campbell sharing the "birthday spotlight" with Lainey. Below are a few pictures of Campbell's big day!

Lainey loved playing with the stacking boxes!

The Birthday Girl!

Marcus, Campbell, and Josie

"I don't like this Stink'in Hat!"

Lainey and Campbell checking each other out!

YUMMY Cake!

Lainey Bug!

Today begins the second best time of the year for a teacher........SPRING BREAK!! The first best time of the year is summer break! The camper is packed, the Expedition is packed, and the kids are raring to go! Although we aren't going far, since Stone Mountain is only an hour and a half away, we are just happy to be going! Unfortunately, Sid has to work on Friday and needs to be at school on Tuesday. My daddy is driving our camper to Stone Mountain today, then coming back to Gainesville to pack his motor home, only to head back to Stone Mountain to camp with us! I will be flying solo with the three kids tonight and all day Friday, but fortunately my parents will be there to help.

I wish my sister was able to camp with us, but her husband's surgery got in the way of the plans! On Tuesday he will be having 4 to 5 teeth pulled and a large section of his lower jaw removed. This surgery is a result of the spot he found in his mouth (mentioned in this post on my sister's blog), which turned out to be ameloblastoma. They will be coming out to Stone Mountain to spend the night on Monday since they need to be at Emory for Brad's surgery that is scheduled for 5:00 am on Tuesday. The best part is that I will get to hang out with my niece Lilly Anne while they are at the hospital! YEA!

With our season passes to Stone Mountain, we are able to come and go in the park as we please. The boys are looking forward to the 4-D theater (dinosaurs are the theme), the train, putt-putt, Sky Hike, Katy's restaurant, the sky buckets, funnel cake, and their favorite ~ the Laser Show!! Our friends Cindy, Sean, Dawson, and Kaylah will be coming to visit us at Stone Mountain on Saturday. They came last year when we were here for Spring Break (Cindy and I were pregnant with our girls) and we had a blast! Of ALL things, my favorite part about going to Stone Mountain is the BREAK! We do not have internet, our phones don't work well in the park, no cable tv, no school......just family time and going to bed early! Maybe I'll be able to catch up on some much needed rest.

Another cool thing about our trip is our photo session with Eileen Swaney for the Littlest Heroes Project! We are so excited about documenting Lainey's personality with some candid shots in our own element!

We will be back home on Wednesday, so look for some life from us then! Have a good weekend!

DeAnn

Just a Coincidence?

2009-03-27T12:00:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday evening I was watching my favorite smart alec doctor, House, and working on my student's grades when the phone rang. I though it was 1 of three people: mom, my sister Dayna, or my friend Jenn. To my surprise, it wasn't one of them. There was a woman on the other line telling me about reading my blog. Reading my blog.....is my phone number posted on my blog? No, keep listening...............

Brittney, the woman on the other end of the phone, explained that she had spent a couple hours reading my blog and viewing all of the pictures. Although she was hesitant about calling, she gave it a go. As you read on you will realize that God works in mysterious ways..........His work is never "Just a coincidence!"

Go to google, type in 'infants with cystic fibrosis in gainesville, ga'. Choose the 'images' button and our photo appears in the middle of the screen. Choose the 'blogs' button and we are the first blog listed. This is how the God's plan began to touch our lives.

Brittney has a 3 year old son, Landon, who seems to be in good health. On February 18, 2009 her daughter, Lanie, was born. YES, her name is Lanie! Sounds just like my Lainey, but spelled differently. A couple weeks after Lanie was born, Brittney and her husband received a call about the concerning results of the newborn screening. She took Lanie to have several sweat test, only to receive the confirmation that she indeed does have Cystic Fibrosis. As any mother, Brittney was concerned, overwhelmed, grief stricken, scared, and looking for answers. It is at this time when her mother-in-law did a google search for 'infants with cystic fibrosis in gainesville, ga'. After finding our blog on Lainey's cystic fibrosis, Brittney's mother-in-law insisted she check it out.

Brittney spent several hours checking out our blog and pictures, when she realized something for the first time. She knows my husband, Sid. Brittney and Sid worked together at the nursing home and he had trained her! She had also seen him at the hospital a week prior. She came to our house for Logan's baby shower! She knew she could call us!

Our phone conversation went on for about two hours. We had so much to share, so many similarities. Both of our precious girls are named Lainey or Lanie! Our boys also have "L" names! She lives in Lula which is just a hop, skip, and a jump from Gainesville! We both are committed to finding a cure for CF! I felt the presence of God within our conversation. He brought us together for the much needed support we both desperately need.

Lanie, Brittney's daughter, has had issues with foul smelling and loose stools. Lanie is also constantly looking for more food! After having her stool tested, she was told that there was no fat found! This is awesome for Brittney and Lanie! She knows that Lanie has Delta F508, but the other mutation is unknown. I shared as much information with her that I could think of.........I just had so many questions for her! Although we live very close to each other, we see different pediatricians. Her pediatrician sent Lanie to the Scottish Rite Cystic Fibrosis Center, while our Lainey goes to the Egleston Cystic Fibrosis Center. We spoke about trying to get her Lanie changed to the Egelston location because it is closer, but we aren't sure if Dr. Caplan would be able to keep Lainey and Lanie straight!

Brittney and I plan on working together to raise money for the Great Strides Walk in Athens, Georgia on October 17th. I feel so much better now that I have someone to help me! Any ideas on a team name for our Lainey and Lanie?

God is so good! HE has so many ways, some subtle and other grandiose, to show his love, care, guidance, support, and commitment. I am truly blessed to be HIS child and to have benefited from his sacrifices. Thank you God for bringing Brittney's family and our family together. Through HIM and my blog, I am thankful our story has provided comfort to others as well as created new friendships. HIS plan will bring great things!

DeAnn

Still seeing YELLOW!

2009-03-22T20:34:00.016-04:00

On Friday, Lainey and I headed to Atlanta for her monthly CF appointment. We dropped Logan off at school, Liam off at the daycare, and off we went! I was sure it would be awful trying to get through rush hour traffic in Atlanta, but we made it in less than an hour! I think it was a record breaking drive....first of all I drove all of the way through Atlanta traffic by myself!! I hate driving in Atlanta and even more so in Atlanta traffic at rush hour! Secondly, I made record breaking time driving through rush hour at 7:45! Lastly, Lainey did not make a sound all of the way there! The music was turned up, I was eating breakfast and driving, while Lainey was napping. A perfect drive.....my knuckles were not even white when we got to the Target parking lot! Yes Target......Lainey's appointment was scheduled for 10:00 and we were only 3 miles from the CF Center at 8:15! Lainey and I did some shopping in Target before going to her appointment. I love Target's Clearance way too much!

Well, yellow seems to be Lainey's Zone. The yellow zone means she is at risk and her weight needs to be monitored closely. She only gained 6 ounces and did not get any taller. She now weighs 18 lbs. 12.1 oz and is still 28 1/4 inches long. All she needed to gain was 1 pound and she would have been in green....barely, but she would have been there! Lainey's goal weight for next month's appointment is 19 lbs. 4 oz and to keep a pace of gaining one and a half pounds per month. Lainey's lungs sounded awesome! Although she was screaming like no body's business while the doctor was checking her ears, nose, eyes, and throat, he assured me that her crying was also part of his assessment. He said that if someone with CF can cry as hard as she was without coughing, then they have very little mucous in their lungs! Wow, that is a great feeling!

Lainey preparing herself for her future profession!

Although everything checked out fine at this appointment, Dr. Caplan expressed his concern for the amount of fat in Lainey's last stool sample. He has now upped her pancreatic enzymes from 1 Ultrase MT18, to 1 Ultrase MT18 and 1 Ultrase (plain). As soon as it arrives in the mail, Lainey will also be adding ScandiCal to her diet. ScandiCal is a tasteless powder to sprinkle over food to add calories. Hopefully these changes will help Lainey to gain weight.

Yes.....Lainey is chewing on a stool sample container! No....there is no stool in it! No matter how many toys I pulled out of her bag, this is the one thing she threw a fit to have!

I often feel like I answer the question, "How is Lainey doing?" with the same answer. "She is doing well. We are always trying to get her weight up and keep her from getting sick." I usually get the response, "Well, she looks great! She weighs more than my kids did...she looks big to me...." Unless you have a child with CF, it IS hard to see why we are working so very hard to get Lainey to the 50th percentile. The bigger the better, for a child with CF. Our doctor tells us that he would like Lainey to be a little on the chunky side. The bigger she is, the more room her lungs have to grow. Being bigger also makes her heart and lungs work harder, thus making them stronger. The first three years of her life will give us an idea of how CF will effect her health in the future. Yes she does look big...her height is in the 85th percentile, her head is in the 95th percentile, and her belly is usually distended.....with that, it is easy to look past her skinny arms, legs, and booty! Yes she does look good and if I saw her with other children, I would think she was just as healthy as the kid next to her. If only more people were aware of Cystic Fibrosis!

Just look at those lashes!

With this frustration came a call from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I spoke with Sara whom is in charge of the Great Strides Walk in Atlanta and Athens. With her help I will begin a team for the October 17th walk in Athens, Georgia. Living in Gainesville all of my life and knowing a ton of people between my parents, my sister, my husband, and I, I am hoping for a huge response. Thankfully we have many connections in Gainesville, one being that of a friend, Joel, who works for a local talk radio station. With his gracious offer to help in any way, I am sure we will be able to reach even more people. My only concern is, How will I have time to raise money and start a team with everything I have going on? Well, I manage to make things happen that I never imagined I could do so I am planning on adding this to my list! If you have any ideas, suggestions, etc. on how to organize and raise money for such a worthy cause, please share your wisdom!

The doctor is much more interesting than mommy!

Finally Gigi and Papa are home! Last week was "awful" for Logan since they were not in town! Because of their "mini vacation", we needed to find someone to take care of Lainey while I worked and Sid finished this quarter's finals. A HUGE thanks goes out to Mrs. Martha for taking care of our Lainey Bug! Mrs. Martha is only the second "non-family" member to watch Lainey for us. We are quite particular is who watches her for fear the person will not understand the importance of her health requirements. We invest a lot in her health and we hope any caregiver of hers will do the same, although we know that is hard to find. Mrs. Martha was awesome and Lainey was comfortable with her new arrangements in no time! Mrs. Martha.....ANYTHING you need monogrammed, it is yours.....just let me know and it is done!!! Thank you so much for caring for Lainey this past week.

"Thank you Mrs. Martha!"

Tomorrow Lainey will be going to an appointment with an occupational therapist. This will be her first therapy since she was in the hospital at birth and it is offered by our local agency, "Babies Can't Wait". I am very interested to see what they will be working on with Lainey. I will update later on her therapy. Until then, I have posted a "big girl" picture of Lainey below!

Lainey's 10 month picture! This is the outfit she got from The Children's Place for having a good doctor's appointment!

Thank you for all of the prayers this past week! My parents are back safely from their trip, Sid finished his 3rd quarter of nursing school with awesome grades, we had a good doctor's appointment, and I drove in Atlanta!!! We feel all of the prayers daily and are forever grateful for our family and friends! Have a great week!

DeAnn

Mommies aren't suppose to get sick!

2009-03-15T23:39:00.016-04:00

Well....not here! I have felt like stink this past week! I finally went to the doctor on Friday and the verdict is....BRONCHITIS! I think if my doc had performed a chest x-ray, it would have shown more. I am on my third day of antibiotics and I feel a little better. My throat is still killing me, but as Logan says, "Mommies aren't suppose to get sick!"

Last weekend the boys went to Papa Dan's house for the weekend, while Lainey and I went to South Georgia. Thank you Papa Dan and Rachel! You gave me a much needed rest! Since my Grandpa Bob reads my blog, I was unable to blog about going to South Georgia for his surprise 80th birthday party! Lainey and I went with my parents (Gigi and Papa) and it was a whirl wind weekend! It is not easy keeping secrets from my grandpa! We spent most of the weekend sneaking around so that he would not find out that everyone was coming into town for his party. My mom and her four brothers threw an awesome party for him at the Officer's Club on Robins Air Force Base.

We had several people that traveled many miles to make it to grandpa's party. My Uncle David, Aunt Nina, and my cousins Jake and Rachel traveled from Jacksonville, Florida. Uncle Dean and Bill traveled from Tampa, Florida. Uncle Dennis, Aunt Kathy and my cousins Blake & Karen, Bradd & Brooke, and Brooke, traveled from Roswell, Georgia. My sister Dayna, and her husband Brad, as well as my niece Lilly Anne, traveled from Hoschton, Georgia. My great uncle and aunt, Dan and Judy, traveled all the way from St. Louis, Missouri! A few of my grandpa's friends traveled from South Carolina. There were also several local friends that attended the party.

The Club served a wonderful meal of fillet mignon, baked potato, green beans, and garden salad. My Aunt Jenny had a friend make a yummy cake to top off our meal. It was great seeing everyone. It is rare when we are all able to get together.....coordinating schedules for all of us to gather at one time is nearly impossible. I really wish Sid could have come with me, but he had to work! We had a blast, but it was over too soon! Look below for a few pictures from Grandpa Bob's 80th Birthday party!

Yummy!

The Party Bug!

Surprise!

Grandpa is checking out all of his guests.

Papa and Lainey......hey, I know she needs to gain weight, but beer?! At least wait until college!

Wrong bottle, Lainey!

My niece, Lilly Anne

Donn, Dean, Diane (my mom, aka Gigi), David, Dennis, and Grandpa Bob.

These are my mom's brothers. My mom is the oldest, then David, Dennis, Dean, and Donn. Mom and Donn are 15 years apart in age, but she, David, and Dennis are all within 28 months of each other. Dean was born 10 years later, then Donn another 5 years after Dean.

Yes, all 5 of them have names that begin with "D". We all have a "thing" with using the same letter to begin our children's name. My sister and I also have "D" names; DeAnn and Dayna. My cousins are Blake, Bradd, and Brooke......Ryan and Rachel.........Emily, Erin, Evan, and Elizabeth...........my dad's parent's are Dorothy and Dave................and our kid's are Logan, Liam, and Lainey...............CRAZY, I know!

Lainey posing for a few close-ups!

Hopefully I will get back to blogging more this week. I have been checking on all of my blog friends, but I have not had time to leave comments or make a post. Gigi and Papa are out of town this week, so Lainey has a new sitter! A HUGE thanks to Mrs. Martha and her husband for watching Lainey this week. Martha works part time at my school and this week happens to be her week off! YEA! On Friday it will be time for another monthly visit to the CF Center! Hopefully Lainey will weigh over 19 lbs!

Please keep us in your thoughts this week, as we have a ton going on! Sid has nursing finals this week, my parents are out of town, therefore I will have to cook for my family, I will be working on getting rid of this bronchitis, Logan has picture day (this is a BIG deal for my 5 year old....he must look good in his pre-k class picture!), Liam is getting over a double ear infection (STILL), and Lainey is going for her 10 month check-up at the CF Center. Thank you!

DeAnn

Red Room vs. RED RUM

2009-03-06T08:00:00.003-05:00

So.......Have you ever had the feeling that it is just too quiet in your house? When you have a two year old boy that isn't into the whole "sleeping thing," but you don't hear him after putting him to bed.......be AFRAID, VERY AFRAID!

Sid and I were down stairs making bottles, cleaning the kitchen, and preparing for the kids to go to their Papa Dan's and Lainey and I to go to my grandparent's house. Our 5 year old, Logan, was already asleep, Lainey was sleeping in her swing, and we had just put Liam in bed for the umpteenth time, when I said, "I hope Liam isn't up there sitting on my desk eating Nerds! It is all of a sudden too quiet. Maybe you should check on him!"

Sid went upstairs only to find the biggest mess ever! Not only were there toys all over the room, but Liam had found the ONE and ONLY RED PERMANENT SHARPIE MARKER on my desk. Needless to say, one Sharpie marker can do A LOT of damage! Luckily Sid took care of the situation....in fear I would hurt Liam!!

By the looks of things, Liam is out to get Lainey and I! He only wrote on my desk, my papers, my night stand, a picture frame of mine with a picture of me in it, Lainey's baby doll, Lainey's baby monitor, and the carpet closest to my desk! In addition to the red marker, he also decided to squeeze a brand new bottle of Lainey's baby lotion all over the floor in front of my side of the bed and all over a decorative bed pillow!

I give my husband props for dealing with the child in a fairly calm manner (he is still alive) and for using numerous alcohol prep pads and a bottle of fingernail polish remover to get rid of most of the red marker. He even got out the carpet cleaner to remove the lotion...and he HATES that big cleaner!! Thank you honey!

Lesson Learned: Put the 2 year old in a cage when you want him to stay in one place!!! Just kidding, but we are looking into some different methods of keeping him safe. This is just one of many dangerous/damaging tricks he has pulled....and I am sure it won't be the last! I am also sure he would probably continue to act like this even if he wasn't the middle child! Until then.....no writing utensils within a 2 year olds climbing range!!

My desk.......and the floor with red permanent Sharpie marker.

Some books and the carpet with more red marker!

A wedding picture of my friend, Dara, and I....covered in red marker!

The floor beside my bed doused with an entire bottle of baby lotion!

All is clean.....except for the carpet! No such luck! I can see a big rug purchase in my near future!

DeAnn

Not Looking a Day Over 20!

2009-03-05T23:16:00.008-05:00

Today is my Grandpa Bob's 80th Birthday!!! I hope you had a WONDERFUL birthday today! You continue to amaze me with all you can do. You don't act or look a day over 20....except the amount of wisdom you have to offer. There aren't many 80 year olds that can drive, much less drive a 40 foot diesel motor home that is towing an SUV! There aren't many 80 year olds that can continue to build and repair items than seem impossible to figure out. There aren't many 80 year olds that help their wife perm her hair! There aren't many 80 year olds that could keep up with you! There aren't many 80 year olds that look as GOOD as you! There aren't any 80 year olds that are like you ~ the BEST! You are AWESOME and I am lucky to have you as my grandpa. I can't wait to see you this weekend!

Grandpa Bob and Grandma Lil

Happy Birthday, Grandpa! We love you!

DeAnn & family

The pink eyed, slimy nosed, three eared monster

2009-03-04T21:41:00.006-05:00

Well......there are sick children at our house again! Liam, our two year old, has a double ear infection and pink eye! Liam has already had 3 sets of tubes and adenoids removed then scraped because they grew back. He has also had his tonsils removed and a bilateral ear wax removal. With all this, one would think he would be semi-healthy.....not so much! This double ear infection is after having strep throat two weeks ago. On Friday had Liam just finished the antibiotic to treat strep throat. On Monday Liam's day care called suspecting he had pink eye. We were convinced it may be due to his sinuses draining. His eyes were getting worse and that is what prompted us to take him to the doctor. He is now on antibiotics for a double ear infection and pink eye!

Lainey is also having some issues with sinus drainage. She has had a slimy, green nose and the beginning of an ear infection in her right ear. She was running a fever on Monday, so I called her CF doctor. Of course Lainey is now on the old standby ~ Bactrim! With the combination of the Bactrim and the eye drops she was prescribed, Vigamox, her eyes are looking much better!

I am hoping everyone is well soon because this weekend the boys are going to hang out with their Papa Dan and I am going to my grandparent's house in South Georgia. I will be taking Lainey, but she is really easy to deal with even though she requires numerous meds and CPT. Maybe I will get to relax and actually hang out with adults! I always enjoy visiting with my grandparents. I am very lucky to still have both grandparents on my dad's side as well as my mother's side of the family!

Please pray that everyone is well soon, therefore I can keep my plans of relaxing and hanging out with my grandparents this weekend!

DeAnn

s'NO'w WAY!

2009-03-01T15:45:00.006-05:00

Wooo Hoooo! It is snowing here in Gainesville, Georgia! Currently the snow is falling vigorously, and I am hoping that it continues so that we won't have school tomorrow! My boys are dying to play outside, but it is very wet from three days of rain! Maybe we will get outside soon so I can get my annual "snow" pictures! Until then........here are a few pictures of our house in the snow!

DeAnn

What's Up Doc?

2009-02-28T12:03:00.025-05:00

This has been a week of doctor visits for Logan, Lainey, Papa, and Gigi. Some reports were better than others. Some things we heard from the doctors we questioned and are still questioning. Hopefully now we will have a break from going to the doctor....at least for a couple of weeks!

Logan had his 5 year old checkup at the pediatrician's office on Thursday. He was above the 90th percentile for his height and weight! Although he is a big boy, weighing in at 64 pounds, the doctor was not concerned. He is also 45 1/2 inches tall, thus balancing his weight. Keeping him active and teaching him healthy eating habits is our main goal. Logan loves to eat, but he is also all boy ~ meaning he is always on the go! In addition to a full exam, Logan was the lucky recipient of 4 shots in the thigh! Needless to say this meant cornering him, carrying him to the table, and holding him down. He is still complaining about the pain in his legs from the shots! I am sure we will still hear about it for at least two more weeks! Other than yearly flu shots, he is finished with vaccinations until he is ten! Yeah....except I am not sure I will be able to wrestle him when he is ten if it is this difficult when he is five!

Lainey also had her checkup at the pediatrician's office on Thursday, as well as her monthly clinic visit at the Cystic Fibrosis Center on Friday. Dr. Onal, the pediatrician, is extremely thorough and is in complete awe of Lainey and her accomplishments ~ developmentally and with her health. Lainey hated his assessment of her ears, mouth, and stomach. She cried like I have never heard her cry before and continue to whimper even after his exam. Everything with exception of her eyes and a possible ear infection, checked out to be great. Dr. Onal has prescribed eye drops for Lainey's eyes and has referred her to a pediatric opthamologist. He suspects clogged tear ducts, but isn't convinced that what her eyes are producing isn't mucus related to the Cystic Fibrosis. Lainey didn't have to have any shots for her 9 month visit! YEAH!

Our visit to the Cystic Fibrosis Center was the best visit we have ever had. Lainey gained 2 lbs. 5.3 oz since her last visit in January, bringing her up to 18 lbs. 6.8 oz! Woo Hoo! 30 calorie Alimentum with Polycose Powder is our new BEST friend. She also grew another inch and is now measuring 28 1/4 inches long! Although she is still in the YELLOW ~ at risk, monitor carefully range, we are so close to seeing the GREEN! Dr. Caplan and Liz (the dietitian) were completely thrilled with her progress. From his examination, Dr. Caplan didn't think Lainey had an ear infection as suspected by Dr. Onal. He also acted as if it was completely normal that Lainey's eyes were draining and was somewhat confused about her going to the pediatric opthamologist. I am not sure if she should go or not.....Is it a CF thing ~ clumpy, yellowish-green junk in the corners of her eyes, and tears falling from the outside corners of her eyes? Is it necessary for her to go the pediatric opthamologist? Should she try the drops, then decide if the pediatric opthamologist is the next step? Ahhhhh.....Questions, but no answers.......yet! Not one thing about Lainey's medications or diet changed as a result of her visit today! The dietitian said she was fine with Lainey eating more high calorie table foods and drinking less formula. This was great news since Lainey is only consuming about 20 oz of formula from her bottle. We usually sneak formula into other meals through rice cereal, just to pack on the calories! The doctors have a goal of Lainey gaining 1 lb. 5 oz. by her next clinic visit on March 20th, bringing her to 20lbs!!! We are up for the challenge....now we have to get Lainey on board!

To kill several birds with one stone, Gigi and Papa scheduled their appointments for the same time as Lainey's. On Friday morning we left Gainesville at 8:30 am to head to Egleston and Emory. Papa dropped Lainey and I off at the CF Center at 9:50 and they headed over to Emory for their echocardiograms. *** My dad, Papa, had his aorta replaced in February of 2000 due to a tear in the mitral valve causing the blood to go around the aorta rather than through it to the heart. After his surgery, one of his lungs collapsed. Although the surgery and several days afterwards were emotionally and physically draining for all of us, he recovered remarkably well after being release from the hospital. *** The doctors continue to check on my dad's valve and high blood pressure. He went back to work shortly after his heart surgery and worked ridiculous hours. He was stressed out and it the stress showed it's ugly face by causing problems with his new valve. During that time he was diagnosed with stage 1 rectal cancer. He underwent surgery in October 2005 and now has a permanent colostomy. He caught the cancer early enough that he did not need chemotherapy. With the cancer added more stress to his new valve. The doctors now perform yearly echocardiograms to keep a check on the valve.

Lainey's CF clinic was over around 12:00, but Papa and Gigi had finished their echos, and were waiting to see their doctor in the Adult Cardiac Clinic at Emory. Finally my dad decided he had made me wait long enough and he came to pick Lainey and I up at the CF Center at 1:00. I would have walked to Emory, but it was pouring and we were under a flood watch! In the meantime, mom and dad's doctor was busy and she sent mom to the lab for several tests. After parking and traveling to the lab, she was still waiting. After the lab my mom was scheduled for a chest x-ray in the radiology building! Needless to say, this was nowhere close to her clinic. We waited for 30 minutes only to get a call from her doctor saying she was ready to see both her and dad! Without the x-ray we went back to the cardiac clinic! I am not sure exactly how long their appointment took because Lainey and I took a nap in the waiting room! We went back to radiology after mom and dad's clinic, only to wait an hour before my dad went to find out what was taking so long. They didn't have mom's paperwork because they had filed it after she left the first time! Amazingly enough it only took 10 minutes until they called mom back for her x-ray after speaking with my dad! We were finally finished with all of our appointments by 4:30! By the time we sat in rush hour traffic, picked Liam up at Aunt Dayna's house, and picked Logan up at Chick-fil-A where he was hanging out with his friend, it was 6:30 when we got to my parent's house!

Papa got a good report...well, according to what he is telling us! Gigi.....well, hers was not what we would have liked to hear. Her disease is progressing (read more about it here). The doctors are unsure if it is her heart that is causing her problems or if it is the secondary pulmonary hypertension. She is now on Lasix to assist in lowering the amount of fluid in her body. The amount of fluid in her body causes more pressure on her heart, thus making it work harder. If the Lasix works, then mom should feel better (less fatigued and less out of breath) by Monday. This means that her heart is the causing the majority of her problems. In saying this, there isn't much the doctors can do. The harder her heart works, the harder her heart gets, thus not working properly. IF the Lasix don't make her feel better, then it is the secondary pulmonary hypertension that is causing her to feel as she does. The doctors can do a few things for this, such as changing some of her medications and introducing some intense medications like Flolan. There are very few options left for my mom. We know she is a strong woman and will fight until the end. As anyone would, I hate hearing that there are few options left for my mom. She and I are best friends. We call each other at least 5 times a day and unless my parents are out of town, I usually see her everyday. Several years ago I vowed to myself to do for her what ever she needed. I also decided that I would spend as much time with her as possible. She and I have grown so close. We are always finishing each other's sentences, we have the same mannerisms, and we often say the same exact thing at the same exact time.

At times I am glad my husband is in the medical field, but at other times I absolutely hate what he knows. He tries very hard to cover up his feelings and answer my questions honestly. After shedding many tears last night, I have decided to look at some of my vows from several years ago. My vows will continue to stay the same, but I will be adding a few new ones. One vow is to come home on time from work 3 days a week (I often work until 5:00 when I am finished at 3:30). In doing this, mom and I will be able to go shopping. It will also provide her with a break from watching Logan and Lainey for an additional hour and a half. Another vow is to do even more to help her...whether it be to pick up groceries, pick up her medications, take her out to places she needs or wants to go, wash her dogs, vacuum, etc. I want her to be less stressed, less worn out, less out of breath....so she can be here for more years to come. I also vow to not dwell on "what mights" and "what ifs". I will enjoy the time we have together....and try not to focus on what I will do with myself when the time comes.

With all of the news we received at the numerous doctor appointments over the past few days, I can say that we are overall thankful for what God has given us. We still have each other and we are still hanging in there! Thank you for all of your prayers for our family. Please continue to pray for Lainey and my mom, Gigi! We feel all of your prayers daily!

With Love,

DeAnn

Gigi, the Birthday Grandma!

2009-02-26T21:02:00.013-05:00

Today, 57 years ago, my mom was born. My mom is truly a miracle. At 1 year old she weighed 10 pounds and couldn't sit up on her own. The doctors were sure that if she lived past her 1st birthday, she would not be able to walk or talk! She was in and out of the hospital her entire first year of life. She had difficulty keeping food down. The doctors told my grandparents that my mom would most likely not make it and they should consider having another child to "soften the blow." My mother came home from the hospital close to the same time her brother was born. She and her brother were over a year apart in age, yet they were the same size. Many people thought they were twins!

Over her childhood, my mother was sick. At one point the doctors told my grandparents that she had Cystic Fibrosis. They began numerous CF treatments, only to discover several years later that she did not have CF.

When my mom was a senior in high school the doctors finally found a hole in one ventricle of her heart. It was determined that her ventricular septal defect (VSD) was unrepairable. Her defect is associated with Eisenmenger's Syndrome. She continued on despite her diagnosis. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor of science degree in education with a focus on speech pathology. She later went on to get her master's degree in special education.

Due to her health, my mom and dad decided to adopt. After being on the waiting list nearly 7 years, my parents received the call they longed for....a baby was available for adoption. My parents adopted me in July 1980, when I was only 2 months old. Through private adoption, 4 years later, they adopted my sister at a mere 13 days old.

Through the years my mom has been in and out of the hospital numerous times. She has always taken medicine and began using oxygen in 2000. For as long as I can remember, she has had a blueish-purple hue to her face and hands as well as a very distinctive, persistent cough. With the progression of her disease, she has developed secondary pulmonary hypertension. She is also in the early stages of congestive heart failure. Her doctors have had her on breathing treatments, experimental medications, and even Viagra! She was on the list to receive a heart and double lung transplant at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, but has since been taken off the list due to her age.

Gigi ~ aka: Diane, Didy, Mom, grandma, wife, daughter, sister (to 4 younger brothers), aunt, teacher, and best friend ~ has WOWed her doctors and has been a true blessing to everyone she meets. She has lived 57 years; some years she has been healthier than others. She taught elementary and middle school for a total of 25 years. She has been a wife to my dad for almost 36 years. She has been an awesome mom for over 28 years. She has been the BEST Gigi for 5 years. She has beat many odds, yet very seldom complains. Every birthday is a huge accomplishment. We are thankful for every moment we get to spend with her.

Lainey is so lucky to have a Gigi that can teach her what it takes to "beat" the odds. To take what the doctors say and prove them wrong! To keep going when the going gets tough. We pray that Lainey will have the same outlook on life as her health is effected by the challenges of Cystic Fibrosis. Lainey has a lot to live up to, but Gigi has been preparing her since birth! Lainey and Gigi are two of a kind....the kind that you could never live without!

Mom, I know pizza and a Dairy Queen ice cream cake may not be the ideal birthday dinner, but we hope you had a great day! Thank you for everything you have taught me. Thank you for all of your love and support. Thank you for your friendship. We hope to have many more birthdays with you. We love you!

With Love,

DeAnn, Sid, Logan, Liam, and Lainey

Liam and Logan helping Gigi blow out her candle!

Happy 57th Birthday, Gigi!

We LOVE you!

Got Lucky?

2009-02-25T21:31:00.011-05:00

Ding Dong! A package for Lainey Smithson!

A package for Lainey? Is it Ultrase? Vitamax Vitamins?

Nope. None of the above.

Well.....(ripping open the box).........

It's LUCKY!!!

Today Lainey received her "Lucky" Bear in the mail. He is so cute! Included with "Lucky" was a yellow star and a green heart, as well as stuffing. Lainey, Logan, Liam, Sid, and I each kissed the heart and placed it inside "Lucky" the bear. Next, we wished upon our star. We wished for a cure to be found for Cystic Fibrosis....sooner rather than later....and then placed the star inside "Lucky". We completed "Lucky's" look by stuffing him with Love! He and Lainey are inseparable.

Our family purchased one "Lucky" Bear to live at our house with us, and one to send to a CF child at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. A portion of the proceeds will be given to Phoenix's family to assist in covering medical bills and other expenses. Check out Phoenix's Blog to see what an amazing little fighter he is! Look below to see how cute and cuddly Lainey finds her "Lucky" Bear!

Thanks,

DeAnn

Lainey's List

2009-02-23T20:36:00.011-05:00

Lainey's List

Life with CF.........

1. Lainey was my third pregnancy in 4 years! I had ALL day sickness for about 4 months and that is when Zofran became my best friend! I gained a lot more weight with her than I did with my other two pregnancies. I had placenta previa and a large bulging blood vessel in my right leg which could be quite painful at times. Other than feeling exhausted (who wouldn't be with a 3 year old boy, 1 year old boy, teaching 21 first graders, and being pregnant), I had an easy 2nd half of my pregnancy. I opted out of all blood tests since my two boys are healthy, plus nothing would have changed my mind about keeping my baby girl! My awesome OBGYN let me see her sweet face on the 3 - D ultrasound machine at each appointment!

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2. Lainey Noelle Smithson was born Tuesday, May 20, 2008 via a scheduled c-section. She weighed 7 lbs. 3 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long. She was absolutely perfect!

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3. Lainey was great at nursing. She ate and slept....we were loving the nurses waiting on us! The doctors mentioned being concerned that she had not had her first bowel movement...I was excited because I remembered how much I hate the first ones with my two sons! The nurses tried forcing her to drink formula and performed rectal stimulation trying to get her to pass her first stools. She did not seem to be in pain and was not bothered by the attempts from the nurses.

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4. When Lainey was 2 days old, the doctor ordered an x-ray of her bowels. At this point I was still unconcerned because I always had issues using the restroom as a child. She was still acting okay until late afternoon. She began spitting up yellow stomach bile (the nurse told me it was just spit up) and her stomach was distended. It was apparent that she was beginning to feel uncomfortable. The doctor believed that Lainey had a bowel obstruction, possibly atresias (we never saw the blockage in the 3 - D ultrasounds, although her stomach was noticeably larger toward the end of my pregnancy...but my boy's stomachs were large also). They whisked her away to the NICU. She stayed in the NICU in Gainesville for 2 days until the Angel II ambulance transported her to Egleston Children's Hospital.

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5. Lainey had surgery on Sunday, May 25, 2008 on what we believed to be a bowel obstruction, possible Hirschprung's, with the chance of atresias. Although we were nervous, we were sure they would be able to fix her and we would be leaving several days later. The surgery took longer than we anticipated. The doctor informed us that Lainey had meconium ileus and it look like a classic case found in children with Cystic Fibrosis. We were devastated. They had not said anything about Cystic Fibrosis. The meconium was so thick that the doctors were unable to push any through the intestines. They placed a t-tube in her bowels rather than an illestomy, in hopes that it would be enough to drain the meconium.

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6. Lainey was a trooper through her surgery. The evening after her surgery she needed a blood transfusion, but was doing well otherwise. She finally passed her first stool at 9 days old, although it was less than 1/4 tsp! On June 5th (Lainey was 16 days old) I spent the night with her at the hospital. The next morning the doctor came in the room to inform me of her having Cystic Fibrosis; Delta F508 and R560T mutations. I will never forget the feeling of finding out such devastating news after getting such little sleep and not having any family with me at the time.

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7. Lainey was introduced to her enzymes and applesauce for the first time when she was 20 days old. Although having difficulty gaining weight kept her in the hospital longer than we wanted, she was released on June 18th after being in the hospital for 29 days.

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8. Lainey takes one Ultrase MT18 (equivalent to 4 Ultrase) with each meal or snack. She takes 1 ml of Vitamax Vitamins per day, 2 ~ .3 ml of Fer-In-Sol (iron) per day, and 2 ~ Prevacid 15 mg capsules per day for acid reflux. She is also on a 30 calorie Alimentum and Polycose diet (regular formula or breast milk is 20 calories) with 1/4 tsp of salt in each bottle. She drinks approximately 20 oz. of formula per day and eats a bowl of 30 calorie rice cereal with 2 jars of food. We add 1 TBS of vegetable oil per jar of baby food.

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9. Lainey gets 2 ~ 30 minute CPT (chest physiotherapy) sessions per day....and she loves it! :)

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10. Lainey has taken Bactrim 2 times for a green runny nose, but that is the only antibiotic she has taken outside of her hospital stay. She currently receives Synagis shots once a month to help prevent RSV. These shots are given by a home health care nurse who comes to our house...or Gigi's depending on where Lainey is hanging out!

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11. Lainey goes to the Cystic Fibrosis Center at Egleston Children's Hospital in Atlanta once a month and goes for regular checkups at her pediatrician's office here in Gainesville.

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12. Lainey is babbling up a storm, sitting up, scooting, and into EVERYTHING in her reach! She is always smiling, laughing, and overall a very happy 9 month old baby. She has taught a lot of people in our small town A LOT about Cystic Fibrosis and will hopefully continue to spread awareness through her story.

Thanks for keeping up with our sweet Lainey Bug's story!

Here are some pictures of our Lainey Bug from our trip to Target and playing at home!

Our Flower Bug

Bunny Bug!

Happy Bug!

Smiley Bug!

Silly Bug!

Babbling Bug!

Have a good week!

The Smithsons
Sid, DeAnn, Logan, Liam, and Lainey

Counting Calories and Having Fun!

2009-02-22T23:07:00.012-05:00

So......Just how many calories are there in a plastic spoon?

Lainey's new favorite thing ~ eating her spoon when she is tired of drinking formula or eating baby food!

This weekend the boys, Lainey, and I went to the local Home Show with my parents. Our home is fairly new, so I don't really know why I went other than it was an escape from the house! In addition to the escape, it meant that I had two other people helping me with my children for at least a couple of hours. Although one would think the home show would be boring to a 5 year old, almost 3 year old, and a 9 month old, the kids had a blast! They were some of the only, if not the only, kids at the home show. They racked up gathering free "goodies" from each booth! We now have mini flashlights, foam baseballs, potted flowers, notepads, pens, crayons, bandaids, coloring books, candy, and much more! I went to the Home Show several years ago and won a patio table and chairs, so that is always incentive for me. No such luck this year! I didn't win anything, but having a day of entertainment made me feel like a winner! Thanks mom and dad for getting all 4 of us out of the house! We had fun at the Home Show and enjoyed some yummy food at Brad's Grill (compliments of Gigi and Papa)!

The Bug!

Logan and the frog at the Home Show!

Liam did not want his picture taken....but here he is with the frog!

This week brings several appointments. We were suppose to go to the pediatrician's office and the CF Center last week, but our plans changed. The pediatrician was sick on Thursday, therefore Logan's 5 year checkup and Lainey's 9 month check up were cancelled. We are now scheduled to go this Thursday morning. I rescheduled Lainey's CF appointment because the boys were still under the weather from having Strep Throat. We will be going this Friday for her appointment at the CF Center, while Gigi and Papa go for their checkup at the cardiac clinic at Emory. This works out perfect because we can take one vehicle to Atlanta since the CF Center and Emory are next door to each other. I am also happy we are going the same day as my parents because now I do not have to find a babysitter for Lainey! Since my parents take care of Lainey, when they are traveling, at the doctor, or are sick, I must find another place for Lainey...or take a day off of work. I like being home with Lainey, but I am trying to save my days for our Disney Cruise in October and incase Lainey were to get sick. Thanks to Josie's mom, Kay, Lainey usually has a place to stay when Gigi and Papa are not available!

Please pray for good visits at both the pediatrician's office and at Lainey's CF clinic. We are hoping that Lainey has met our goal of 18 lbs! Check back later this week for updates on our visits! :)

BYE!

The Smithsons

Birthodaycoccal Partyngitis

2009-02-18T04:36:00.000-05:00

On Monday Logan had his 5th birthday party at Monkey Joe's. Along with the goodie bags, he and his little brother, Liam, passed out Streptococcal pharyngitis germs....aka ~ Strep Throat! Yep, that is right...Logan and Liam both had strep throat at the birthday party...and I didn't even know! Liam ran a low grade fever off and on last week, but never confirmed that anything hurt. Logan began complaining of a headache and his throat hurting on Friday, but he continued to eat. The last time he had strep, he wouldn't eat....so I thought it might be a cold or sinus drainage! WRONG! When my mom looked down his throat while the other kids were jumping on the inflatable toys at Monkey Joe's, she called it....and we called the doctor.

There were no openings at the pediatrician's office, so I took the boys yesterday. A little miffed with me for not bringing the boys to them in earlier, the doctor confirmed positive strep tests for both of them. Although Liam seems to be responding well to the antibiotics, Logan is still lagging behind. Logan has had a fever averaging 101 and he has been throwing up! He also is not wanting to eat....and if Logan doesn't want to eat, there is obviously something wrong! I think Liam was close to being over his strep throat since he was running a low grade fever most of last week. He has acted fine, but isn't eating much....like usual! The best thing the doctor said was that Lainey should be okay....babies do not usually get strep throat! I have never heard that, but I'll take it and hope she stays well!

Although Logan was not feeling well, I was determined to make sure he still had a good time at his party. Monkey Joe's is fun....but not so much when you aren't feeling well! Logan's favorite part of the party was opening gifts....who's isn't?! He got so many cool gifts! Transformers, Power Rangers, Legos, and Hot Wheels are just a few of the things his friends gave him. Thank you to everyone that came to celebrate Logan's 5th birthday. We hope you had a good time and we really hope Logan and Liam did not give your child strep throat!

Here are some pictures of Logan's BIG day at Monkey Joe's!

Lainey hanging out at Monkey Joe's.

Monkey Liam!

The Birthday Boy!

Hanging out with Strep Throat!

The Transformer Birthday Cake.

Logan and his friend Monkey Joe!

A cool UGA cork board from Reagan!

Thank you for the awesome gift Andrew....BAKUGAN is all Logan talks about after hanging out with you at school!

Thank you for the Power Ranger Grandma Carolyn and Papa David! Wish you could have been at the party!

For what is left of this week, I am hoping that Logan will get to go back to school. Liam went today but Logan stayed at Gigi and Papa's house. The boys are no longer contagious, but Logan still needs a little rest. Today I haven't felt very well, so I hope I have not caught any of the bugs that have been in our house.

Lainey is suppose to go to the CF Center on Friday for her monthly check up. Since the boys have been sick and may not be going to school, I might have to reschedule her appointment. My parents both have to go to Emory for a check up with the cardiologist on Friday, February 27th, so I may reschedule her appointment for then since the CF Center and Emory are so close to each other.

Please pray for a speedy recovery for the boys. Prayer is also needed for Sid, Lainey, and I....we really need to stay well! Thanks again for all of the birthday wishes and gifts!

DeAnn

Angels Among Us

2009-02-14T22:30:00.001-05:00

Our family truly believes their are angels among us, and we have proof!

On Monday, January 19, 2009, the kids and I were out of school for MLK day. Since I was with the kids it meant my parents had the "day off" from babysitting. My dad made an appointment in Gaffney, SC to have some work done on his motor home. Mom and Dad took the motor home to Gaffney, towing their car behind because the work on their motor home would take at least a week. On their way home they decided to eat dinner at the Olive Garden in Greenville, SC.

While waiting on their table, my mom sat down beside a lady with a child in her lap. My mom began talking to the lady about her little girl (mom doesn't meet a stranger). They made small talk with mom mentioning that she had a grandson close in age to the little girl. She also mentioned a little about having grand kids and keeping her granddaughters while Dayna (my sister) and I teach school. Their conversation was cut short due to an available table awaiting.

On January 25, 2009 I received an email from Mrs. Manning, a woman who found my blog while researching the medication her daughter is taking for acid reflux. Mrs. Manning mentioned in her email that her almost 2 year old daughter had several bouts of illness, some that included positive bacterial throat cultures. She said that the doctors suggested having her tested for CF, but when the bacteria went away on its own, they decided not to test her. One of the last things Mrs. Manning asked was about about a picture she saw on my blog. The lady labeled "Gigi" was the lady she thought she saw at the Olive Garden in Greenville, SC.

Before Mrs. Manning's email, I didn't even know my parents stopped at the Olive Garden in Greenville on their way home. I immediately called my mom to inquire about her encounter with Mrs. Manning. She confirmed that she spoke to a nice lady with a very calm (she noticed that because my 2 year old is far from being calm!) little girl sitting in her lap. We could not believe my blog brought her back into our lives for a second time. Was it a coincidence or was God trying to tell us something?

We emailed back and forth several times. Mrs. Manning had several questions about having her daughter tested for CF. Her daughter was ill again and they wanted to find the root of the problem. I encouraged her to go through with testing, if for nothing other than peace of mind. I checked my email every hour to find out the results. When I received the email with her daughter's results, a overwhelming sense of relief came over me. Her daughter's sweat test was negative! She does not have CF. Mrs. Manning's email also mentioned that she had something else to share with me, but she was really busy and would tell me later. The kid in me really likes surprises and suspense, and once again I found myself checking my email every hour.

On Wednesday, February 4th, after a long day at work, then church dinner, parenting class, bathing the kids, and getting them ready for bed, I finally had the opportunity to work on my taxes. I watched my favorite show, LOST, while working on my taxes. After my favorite show was over, I went downstairs to make lunches for the next day, when I spotted the mail. The anticipated wedding invitation to Chris and Kelly's wedding had arrived! There was also an envelope with my name from someone in South Carolina. Without thinking twice about the fact that I don't know anyone right off hand that lives in SC, I quickly opened the envelope (back to the excitement of getting mail!). A letter, a picture, and a check were enclosed in the envelope from SC. This is what the letter said...

DeAnn & Family,

In my last email, I made reference to something else I needed to tell you. I decided to mail this letter explaining an answered prayer that I have recently experienced.

Please accept this gift as the Lord has asked us to give it to you. I understand from your blog that you are a Christian family. Therefore, I am sure that you have the knowledge of the spiritual gifts of giving. We are a Christian family from Laurens, SC. We moved to Chapin, SC in October 2004 and attended Chapin Baptist Church during the four years that we lived there. We moved back to Laurens in June 2008 and have been attending NewSpring Church in Greenville, SC since our last move. Our faith has recently grown stronger. Your mother (Gigi) initially made contact with me in Olive Garden, Greenville, SC (January 19, 2009). I didn't realize it at the time but I have been praying for God to intervene and help us with a financial decision. We sold our house in Chapin in August 2008 and fortunately made a small profit during this time of economic crisis. We have been trying to decide where to contribute a portion of God's gift to us (housing profit). I received a book from NewSpring Church titles 'The Blessed Life' by Robert Morris. In regards to offerings over and above tithing, I learned that we are not to decide where to give but we should pray and ask God where He wants us to give. Prior to meeting your parents in Olive Garden, I just completed reading this book and have been in prayer over the material I have read. On January 25, 2009, I started an internet search on my daughter's reflux medication, Axid, and ended up on your blog. When you initially responded to my email on January 26, 2009 with the confirmation that I had met your mother- I knew that God was at work in this connection.

I called my husband at work on Tuesday (26th) and told him about my answer from God. I cried with joy. My husband, without hesitation, agreed that God is at work and is responding through this connection.

Your family blog and your email's with me have so greatly touched my heart. I really appreciate your communication with me through my daughter's sweat chloride test this past week. I have not ever developed an internet friendship such as this. I plan to pray for little Lainey and your family and keep in touch with her progress. She is such a beautiful baby and she deserves such a great family that you are.

Please accept this gift and Thank You and Your Family for allowing God to work through you in response to my prayers.

With Love, Prayers, and Thanks!

The Manning's

I was in tears reading this letter! Seeing their family picture helped put a face with their names. As if I was not already totally amazed in how God works and his intentions of bringing our families together, but the check that was enclosed with the letter and the picture was written to me in the amount of $1,000.00. I immediately handed the letter over to my husband, who was already thinking I was nuts because I was crying over this letter I received in the mail. Needless to say, he was balling after the second sentence! All he could say was, "Call your mom!"

Before my mother could say hello, I said listen to this letter I got in the mail (she was not shocked to get a call like this from me because I always call her like that when I have something important I need to tell her). She was totally taken aback. We were sure then that there are really angels among us. There is still good in this world. There are still people that truly believe in God's intentions.

Without hesitation, I blurted out my intentions of what the money would be used for ~ CF research! The Manning's gave the money to us, but in the long run what will make us the most happy? ~ A cure for CF. A good bill of health for our precious baby girl. A normal life for her in this not so normal world. A story for her to tell of the people who God led into her family's lives. The Manning's money could be the $1,000.00 that buys the ingredients that are mixed together to find the cure for Cystic Fibrosis. How could I ever keep that money for our usage? Yes, we have expenses we never thought we would have. Yes, we have medical bills that we are paying on. Yes, Lainey's monthly expenses are beyond what we financially are able to provide, but we make it. God has helped us this far and we know He will not let us down. I am sure He also wants us to donate the money to the CF Foundation.

In addition to the money the Manning's sent us, they also donated $200.00 in Lainey's honor to the CF Foundation. Lainey has her own gift registry through the CF Foundation http://www.cff.org/GiftReg/DeAnnSmithson with a current goal of $1000.00 by her first birthday to help fund Cystic Fibrosis research. With the $1,200.00 total donation from the Manning's and a donation from our friends The Childer's, we are well above our goal. We will also be going beyond this goal even farther with the help of our friend's, The Rock's. Their daughter, Campbell, will be turning 1 on March 25, 2009. In lieu of gifts, they are asking for donations to be made to the CF Foundation in Lainey's honor! We will also be doing the same for Lainey's 1st birthday. Our family is in awe over the number of people who are supporting us and the research that will ultimately save the people with Cystic Fibrosis. With this being said, I will be raising our goal this week from $1000.00 to $2,000.00 in donations by Lainey's 1st birthday.

Thank you so much Manning Family! God has shone His abilities through our connection. We are eternally thankful for your thoughtfulness and your donations, but more importantly for your friendship. We love you! :)

The Smithsons
Sid, DeAnn, Logan, Liam, and Lainey

The BIG Man is 5!!

2009-02-13T02:02:00.001-05:00

5 years ago today, my sweet Logan James was born! 14 hours of labor, 10 minutes of pushing, and 1 wonderful epidural later, at 3:58 pm my 8 lb. 13 oz, 21 inch baby boy was born! Having only 2 veins versus 3 veins in his umbilical cord and having it wrapped around his neck 3 times, I was unable to hold him until after 9:00 that evening. I was a mom, which soon proved to be more stressful and painful than I ever imagined! Logan never got enough food through nursing and often spit up most of his food. After adding Zantac, Soy formula, and rice cereal to his diet, plus making it through three months of Colic, he was a wonderful baby! As for me....When Logan was 1 week old I was in the ER! I began hemorrhaging and running a fever of 103.9. After 4 days in the hospital, a fever averaging 103 degrees, 5 antibiotics, a cooling bed, no eating, 24 hour supervision, ultrasounds, and sleepless nights, I was eventually released. It was later determined that some of the placenta was still attached to my uterine wall, thus causing an infection! And of course the same excuse was repeated throughout my stay in the hospital and even in the weeks afterward..."It is because you are a red head!" Supposedly red heads are at greater risk of infection, low blood pressure, bleeding, passing out, and many more issues!

Logan shares his birthday with Abe Lincoln, or as he says it "Haberham Lincoln." He requested a party at school consisting of cupcakes (because "cake is not allowed" ~ per Logan), Capri Sun, and goodie bags! I was able to take about 45 minutes off of work to celebrate his birthday with his pre-k friends! Logan thought everything was the coolest and required me taking a picture!

The Birthday Boy!

Logan and his pre-k friends!

Later in the evening we celebrated Logan's birthday by eating pizza and cupcakes! We invited several family members, but some were unable to make it to the party. Gigi and Papa let us celebrate at their house with Papa Dan and Rachel and of course Sid, Liam, Lainey, and I. Logan got so many presents he wasn't sure what to play with first! Grandma Barbara and Great Grandma Smithson were unable to make it to the family party, but they sent a lot of gifts. He is having a blast with all of his cool new toys...that he really didn't need because we already have a ton of toys at our house! Thank you to everyone for the awesome gifts. His birthday wish ~ "Mom won't yell at me when I do things I am not suppose to do!" AHHH...way to make me feel like a loser! Thanks Logan James!

Logan showing off his new Power Rangers!

Papa Dan. Logan, and the Red Ranger helmet.

Logan making his birthday wish.

Papa Dan and Lainey Bug

Liam eating a cupcake...yum!

Today I also had a follow up doctor appointment with the endocrinologist. Blah! For some reason my prolactin levels are still elevated (prolactin causes you to lactate, when you are nursing and sometimes when you are not nursing). They were actually higher than they were in September and November when they were last tested! I will continue taking the Cabergoline to help with this issue. My iron was still low even though I am taking a daily iron pill. My estrogen was still low, but not as low as before (was 7, now 22, should be around 500). Hopefully my prolactin levels will decrease and as a result the estrogen increase. If that does not happen, it will be determined that my pituitary gland is no longer working and I will be put on estrogen. My vitamin D also continues to be low...lower than it was in September...and with me taking 5,000 units per day and an addition 50,000 units per week to total 85,000 units per week! The recommended level of vitamin D is at least 32...mine is 19. I guess I will have to lay outside in the nude....just kidding....I don't want my neighbors to move or die for that matter! :)

I have also gained a bad amount of weight...Not cool since I have been trying to lose weight! Hopefully since the doctor has taken me off of one of the two birth controls I have been taking to raise my estrogen, I might lose some weight!

I also went to the Health Department today for Lainey's WIC checks. I did not have to wait very long before they called my number! Hallelujah! Of course I had several little people come up and give me hugs because they know me from school. I was just thankful that it was fairly calm around the Health Department. I also saw my friend Cindy's husband. On his off days he is the police officer on duty for the Health Department. Talking to him made the time go by so much faster! Thanks Sean for making the time fly by and more bearable!

The nurse at the Health Department said that although Dr. Caplan wrote a prescription for Alimentum and Polycose, I would get more from receiving checks for Alimentum without Polycose. The nurse wants me to try to get Medicaid to pay for the Polycose and more cans of Alimentum per month. She had tons of questions about Lainey and her nutritional needs. It always amazes me to talk to people in the medical field who are completely out of the loop when it comes to CF. I allowed her to give me nutritional advice, but also told her that I would only follow what Lainey's dietitian at the CF Center says because she works with CF on a daily basis. The next time I go back for WIC checks, Lainey will be 1! Yea, no Health Department for 3 months!!

Look for more birthday pictures next week! On Monday, Logan is having his birthday party at Monkey Joe's!

DeAnn

A Buggy Kind of Day

2009-02-08T15:16:00.001-05:00

Lainey and I enjoyed playing today while the boys were taking a nap! We needed some girl time since I went to the CF Family Day at Emory in Atlanta Friday night and got home Saturday evening. Sid had to work all weekend and the CF Family Day began at 8:00 am on Saturday, therefore I had to find places for the kids to hang out! Lainey went with Gigi and Papa to Warner Robins, Georgia on Friday and came back Saturday night. Lainey got to go see her Great Grandpa Bob, Great Grandma Lil, Great Pop, and Great Grandma Dorothy while she was visiting in Warner Robins. Liam and Logan went to hang at their Papa Dan's house Friday night until I picked them up on Saturday evening. Liam and Logan got to visit with their Great Grandma Barbara. Although I was told that each kid was very well behaved, each grandparent looked worn out!

Friday night, Jenn and I went to Atlanta to eat (without kids and husbands) and spent the night at Grandmomma's house (Jenn's Grandmother-in-law). Grandmomma lives on the same road as the Cystic Fibrosis Center at Egleston! We had a great time eating at Chili's without someone throwing a fit, someone needing more juice, someone tying to get out of the highchair, and someone having to go to the bathroom! It was nice to have an adult conversation and actually enjoy a meal! Staying at Grandmomma's was also great because we left her house at 7:50 am for the CF Family Day, which began at 8:00 am! This was way better than driving an hour from Gainesville and hoping we got their on time. Thank you for letting us stay at you house Grandmomma!

When we finally found our way to the CF Family Day activities, there was a wonderful spread of breakfast foods. While we ate we walked around to all of the CF related vendors. There were so many vendors with things I had never seen before. Jenn and I had a great time walking around to each vendor. We learned and saw a lot of cool things...we also picked up a lot of FREE goodies! If anyone uses Ultrase, the rep informed me that there will be some new and exciting things the company will be starting soon...but she couldn't tell me about it yet! She said the people using Ultrase, Scandi Shakes, etc. will receive something in the mail around February 16th! I can't wait to find out what is new!

The CF Family Day also included several speakers sharing information about current CF research, nutrition, phase 3 drugs, and the importance of airway clearance. I learned soooo much! To answer Reilly's mom, Cindy's question she once asked, Do CF carriers have symptoms?, YES! The doctors said that many carriers of CF may also have sinus issues, asthma, frequent upper respiratory infections, digestive issues, anemia, vitamin D deficiencies, and more!! Hearing this bit of information gave me some understanding behind many of my personal health issues. I am constantly battling a sinus infection, I have had sinus surgery, each winter/spring I get chronic bronchitis, I have always had digestive issues, I am anemic and vitamin D deficient! Wow....one could think I had a mild case of CF...but my blood work says I am just a carrier of Delta F508!

I learned that 90% of people with CF or people who are carriers of CF, have the gene mutation DF508. Researchers are working on ways to correct the DF508 mutation. It is believed that if at least one of the mutations causing CF can be corrected, then it would be as if the person who once had CF was now just a carrier! Since carriers are typically healthy people, the hope is that would also be the case for those with the repaired mutation. The data and research findings were incredible. A CURE is within reaching distance....I am sure! It was noted that they are having difficulty funding the much needed research due to the economy, so it is up to the people who are affected by CF to spread awareness. It is vital to Lainey's life as well as others affected by CF for the CF Foundation to continue receiving funding for their research. Please donate if you can...you will be saving lives sooner rather than later! Here is the link to Lainey's donation page ~ http://www.cff.org/GiftReg/DeAnnSmithson

There was so much more I learned, but I could never post all of it...not because I can't remember or don't have the energy to talk about it...but because I don't have the time to type it all! Talking is my favorite thing to do....as if most people didn't already know that....so ask me some questions the next time you see me!

Please continue to pray for our family! I think we are all over the stomach virus, but we all still have stuffy and runny noses! We are hoping that Lainey's runny nose goes away or at least continues to stay clear! This week brings many things...inquiring about putting our house on the market, Logan's 5th birthday, doctor appointments, a WIC appointment, Valentine parties, Synagis shots, and I am sure there will be more! Good health and sanity continues to be in my hourly prayers!

Have a blessed week,
DeAnn

PS ~ Lainey is sitting up on her own now!! YEA Lainey! She loves seeing everything from her new view!

Visiting with Grandma Smithson

2009-02-02T14:55:00.000-05:00

Grandma Smithson came to visit all the way from Texas! This was her first time seeing Logan since he was 9 months old (Nov. 2004) and the first time ever meeting Liam and Lainey! We had a great time hanging out with her during the Superbowl. It is hard to believe she is 85...she looks wonderful. She plans to stay in Georgia for the month of February. We hope to visit with her many more times while she is here for the month.

Lainey and Grandma Smithson

Logan was excited to see his daddy's Gigi! Logan and Grandma Smithson were best buddies from the minute she walked in the door! Liam was not as sure about her. It usually takes him a while to warm up to people, but when he saw his brother getting some attention, he was all about loving on Grandma! Lainey didn't know what to think about Grandma...Grandma thinks it was her dark hair! After a while Lainey decided to hang out in the same room with Grandma and she even let Grandma hold her. I think it is awesome that my children have so many Great Grandparents who are living (10 total if you count Sid's step-grandparents and my birth grandmothers)! Longevity must be in the family....YEA!

We wish Grandma Smithson lived closer to us, but we also know Texas would miss her! Thank you to Aunt Lisa and Papa Noel for letting her come to Georgia to visit. We know you miss her when she is away. We are taking good care of her while she is here! Hopefully Grandma won't get too homesick! :)

DeAnn

Thought of the Day

2009-01-26T22:54:00.000-05:00

'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.' When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better.

Concentrate on this sentence...'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you...'

In a CF world it is often easier to ask "Why?" than to trust God. When I found this quote it truly hit home. Thank God for everything He has given me and the future I have yet to endure.

This weekend we went to a kids fun fair at our local mall....Can you believe I actually got out of the house with the 3 kids?! It was warm and we REALLY needed to get out! Below are some pictures from our fun outing!

Sweet Bug!

Logan and the "Pirick"!

Liam the fireman...I introduced him to the local firemen and gave them our address incase we ever needed them to save us or the house!

Happy Monday!

DeAnn

8 months ago today....

2009-01-22T22:03:00.000-05:00

Lainey ~ 2 days old ~ May 22, 2008

8 months ago today was the day doctors told us that our perfect baby girl would need to have x-rays of her stomach. 8 months ago today the nurse force fed our baby in all attempts to produce her first stool. 8 months ago today our baby girl began to spit up yellow bile and show signs of a distended stomach. 8 months ago today I was asked to call my husband so the doctors could talk to both of us about our baby girl. 8 months ago today we were told that our 2 day old baby girl had a bowel obstruction. 8 months ago we were told our sweet baby girl would be taken to the NICU. 8 months ago today our baby girl was ripped out of our arms and whisked away. 8 months ago today our baby girl was severely dehydrated which resulted in fluids being pushed through an IV in her head. 8 months ago today a tube was placed down our baby girl's throat and into her stomach. 8 months ago today we were instructed to wash our hands and arms for five minutes before visiting our baby girl. 8 months ago today we were told that our 2 day old baby would most likely need surgery. 8 months ago today we sent visitors away without seeing our new bundle of joy. 8 months ago today we cried like we had never cried before. 8 months ago today we had to call our family and friends to let them know the status of our precious baby girl. 8 months ago today we prayed more than we had ever prayed before. 8 months ago today our perfect family was changed forever....

Lainey in NICU ~ 2 days old ~ May 22, 2008

Today, 8 months later, we are still changed and forever changing. Lainey has been a blessing to our family. I never imagined how one perfect little baby can make such a change, an awareness, an impact, a difference in and on so many people. Her smile could fool anyone into the falsities of Cystic Fibrosis. Lainey truly makes CF look good! God gave us this perfect child to be our teacher, our leader, our strength, our believer, our endeavor, our light.......and for that we are forever grateful. Thank you to everyone who has helped us over the past 8 months. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us over the past 8 months. Thank you to everyone who has followed our story for the past 8 months.....and hopefully will continue following us and praying for us for many years to come. We love you!

The Smithsons

Sid, DeAnn, Logan, Liam, & LAINEY

Lainey ~ 8 months old ~ January 2009

Blog Award

2009-01-18T22:43:00.000-05:00

I received this blog award from Lil' Chris's Mom. This award is for those who step out of their comfort zone and make new friends through their blog. I am thrilled to be given this award! I usually read, but never comment. Since I have met some blogging friends, I feel like I have a new extended family.

I'm going to pass this award to a few of my blogging friends. These are a few of the blogs I check regularly and I think deserve recognition.

This award is presented to:

Billie @ http://anotheransweredprayer-take2.blogspot.com/

Christy @ http://thejobes.blogspot.com/

Josie @ http://josierock.blogspot.com/

Dayna @ http://thekileyfamily.blogspot.com/

Every Ounce Counts!

2009-01-17T17:30:00.000-05:00

It is hard to believe that yesterday it was Lainey's 8 month checkup at the Cystic Fibrosis Center. Sid and I feel like it was just yesterday when we found out Lainey's diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis. We thank God everyday for all of the knowledge and hope Dr. Caplan has given us. Lainey absolutely loves him and with all of his kisses, she can tell he loves her too! With his age, it is our concern each month that our next visit to the center may not involve Dr. Caplan.

Lainey and Dr. Caplan

On another note, Lainey was up 14 oz. from our last visit in December, weighing in at 16 lbs. 1.5 oz.! It was not what the dietitian had hoped for, but at least she gained weight even with her eating strike! She also grew another inch longer! She is now 27 3/8 inches long. Her weight is in the 25th percentile and her height is in the 50th percentile. Hopefully at our next visit Lainey's weight will catch up with her height!

Lainey and Gigi playing while we waited for Dr. Caplan.

As always, it was great to hear those four little words, "Her lungs sound clear." Dr. Caplan was happy to know we did not have a stool sample for him today....although, we had a bunch after we left the center. Not too much was changed with her medications or her diet. She will continue to take Ultrase Enzymes with each meal. Instead of taking four standard Utrase capsules, Dr. Caplan changed her to a higher dosage of Ultrase, Ultrase MT18. Now she will just need to take one capsule with each meal. She will also continue drinking 30 calorie Alimentum. She must drink 30 oz. per day, then she can have solid foods. She would rather have rice cereal and baby food, but we will listen to the docs!

"What? No solid foods until I drink all of my liquid mashed potatoes??!!"

We are totally thrilled with Lainey's appointment at the CF center. God is truly Good! Thank you to everyone who has prayed and continues to pray for our family. Lainey's diagnosis has been a life altering experience for everyone in our family. Through all of this I have learned that life isn't fair, things don't always turn out the way you planned, things can and will change even if it messes up your schedule, a "To do" list is never completed before another has begun, knowledge is power, laundry is never-ending, kids grow up too fast, and God has a plan for each of us; he knows what he is doing. Thank you for helping us to live God's plan.

With Gratitude,

The Smithsons

PS. Maybe I am crazy, but I am totally concerned about Lainey's teeth! Dr. Caplan warned me that some of her medications could damage her teeth. Yesterday he looked at her tooth, and said it was fine. After our visit, my mom and I took Lainey to Target and that is where it was very noticeable. Under the bright lights, all I could see in my precious baby's mouth was a black tooth! I know it is better to have a black tooth than have lung issues, breathing treatments, and being hospitalized. I think I wasn't prepared for what Dr. Caplan meant by medication "damaging" her teeth. I have begun brushing her teeth and hopefully this will prevent more black teeth. Sorry for being so vain, I just know how rude people can be about appearances, especially with girls. :(

May the Weight Gain BEGIN!?

2009-01-15T20:16:00.000-05:00

YEAH! Lainey is eating again! We think she has been protesting food because of her new teeth. On Tuesday her appetite picked up and she has been eating ever since. She is drinking roughly 25 oz. of formula, eating a bowl of rice cereal, and 2 - 3 jars of baby food per day! I knew with a few days of hanging out with my mom, she would be eating again! Unfortunately, with all of this eating, she has also had a lot of pooping! Today I bought a box of 600 wipes and the cashier said, "Wow! That is a lot of wipes!" I informed him that my child will go through that box in less than two weeks. I wish I had taken a picture of the look on his face! :)

Lainey's dietitian called yesterday and wants us to try her on 30 calorie Alimentum. Hopefully this will help her gain weight. Making 30 calorie formula is n0t as simple as 24 calorie where you just add more formula. When making 30 formula you add extra formula and a special powder called Polycose. Of course our local pharmacy did not have any Polycose, so we had to wait until the order came in today. Tonight we will begin making 30 calorie bottles and trying them out tomorrow.

Tomorrow we will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Center for Lainey's monthly checkup. I know she will not be at 17 lbs. like the dietitian had wanted, but we have tried very hard. Our baby scale here at home says she weighs 16 lbs. 4 1/2 oz. We think she looks great, but we know the doctors know BEST. I will update everyone on our news from Lainey's checkup. Please pray for a good visit. She has been very healthy this month, minus the weight loss due to teething. We hope she continues to do well through the winter and with being around all of the germs that the kids, Sid, and I bring home.

Thank you to all of my new blog friends. It is great to meet people who are going through or have gone through similar situations as I have with Lainey. I often look at blogs, but never comment. I appreciate you welcoming me into your lives through your blog. I no longer feel so alone with having a "sick" child, while everyone else around me has healthy children. God knew what He was doing when He chose us to take care of these precious angels!

Until tomorrow......

DeAnn

PediaBlah!

2009-01-12T22:49:00.001-05:00

A PediaSure - Free Girl!

Needless to say, the PediaSure was not a hit! Lainey absolutely hates PediaSure ~ Strawberry and Vanilla. The first time I introduced the strawberry PediaSure, she drank it all. I was ecstatic, until the next feeding. She refused to open her mouth although I know she had to be starving. As a last resort I tried giving her Alimentum again...and that worked!

This weekend was horrible because I fought with her over every feeding, not to mention that Sid worked 6:30 am to 7:30 pm on both Saturday and Sunday. It also rained and the boys were wild! Lainey was extremely sleepy and somewhat lethargic, therefore I decided to stay put at the house. Can you say cabin fever? By Sunday afternoon I was sure someone in our house would be hurt if we did not have a break from each other! Thank goodness for Papa Dwight...he picked Logan up and took him to work in the motor home and then back to their house. It is amazing how well behaved Liam can be when he doesn't have an audience!

Gigi and Papa came over to eat chicken enchiladas with us on Sunday evening. Gigi worked her magic and was able to get Lainey to eat 4 oz of formula and eat a HUGE bowl of rice cereal! Gigi can always get people to eat...just look at Sid, Logan, Dayna, and I! Thanks to her, the four of us are always trying to watch our weight! Unfortunately, Liam wasn't letting her talk him into eating. He ate four cereal straws, a cup of Gold Fish crackers, and drank 5 cups of chocolate milk for the day. Lainey gladly shared her PediaSure with Liam and he drank about 4 oz. We are planning to continue giving Liam the PediaSure when he refuses to eat, especially since he has lost 5 + pounds since April! We really need to have him retested for CF, I just can't bring myself to torturing him again! I nominate Sid to take Liam for the bloodwork! :)

The CF doctor, Dr. Caplan, called today to check on Lainey. He was sure she would love the PediaSure, but since she didn't he adjusted her diet again. She is now drinking 27 calorie formula. She ate well today at Gigi's house, so hopefully she will continue eating. Her goal weight for our Friday CF visit is 17 lbs., but I know we won't even be close. We will be lucky if she weighs 16 lbs. since she has lost 4 + oz. in the past few days. If it were possible, I would gladly give her some of my hunger and weight!

Today Lainey received her 2nd flu shot. She has now completed her flu vaccination. On Wednesday she will get her Synagis shot. Friday we will go to the CF Center for her monthly checkup. My new insurnace company will not like us after Friday! The suggested pick of insurance was the HRA plan. The first $1750 of medical bills is paid out of our "pot" of money, then we have to pay $1250 until we meet our out of pocket deductible. Since Lainey has Medicaid as secondary insurance, I am assuming/hoping it will pick up the $1250 out of pocket portion. We will have met all of our deductibles and out of pocket expenses by Friday if not before then! The thing I am nervous about is what mom heard on tv today. She heard that some doctors can refuse HRA patients unless it is an emergency because the insurance company will only pay them at a very discounted rate. I am praying this is not the case since we will have met everything with only 16 days into this new insurance policy! Why do they have to make insurance so complicated? AHHHHH!

Hopefully the 27 calorie formula will fatten Lainey enough to at least reach 16 lbs. by Friday and that our new insurance will be the right choice for the kids and I this year. Please pray that all goes well with all the appointments this week. I know I can count my blessings if all I have to worry about with Lainey's CF is poop, eating, gaining weight, and insurance! There is so much we have to be thankful for!

With Lots of Love,

The Smithsons

Fevers, Drooling, and Weight loss, Oh WHY?

2009-01-10T09:07:00.001-05:00

Since our last visit to the Cystic Fibrosis Center in December, Lainey has been struggling to follow the advice of Liz, the dietitian! We have quit feeding her solids and focused on feeding her 30 oz. of 24 calorie Alimentum formula. YEAH RIGHT! Once Lainey is full, there is no forcing her to eat! Now she isn't eating solid food, but continues to only eat around 20 oz. of formula! In addition to the change in food intake, Liz called the day before Christmas suggesting we increase Lainey's Ultrase from 3 capsules before each feeding to 4 capsules. In several days we noticed a weight loss, change in stools (number, consistency, and color), and a lack of interest in her bottles. She is teething, so for my own comfort, I convinced myself she was having a difficult time with feedings due to her teeth.

Thursday evening I decided enough was enough. Sid weighed her so I could call the Synagis nurse with her weight, only to find that she had lost 4 oz. in less than a week! I decided we had to have a new game plan. I called my mom and told her we were going to feed her any amount of formula she would take and then let her eat as much rice cereal and baby food as she wanted! Since mom is her caretaker during the day, she agreed that we needed to do something. Yesterday mom fed her as much food as she would eat. She ate a lot of food while continuing to take a lot of formula. It was great to see her eat, but it is still discouraging because she is having a lot of stools throughout the day.

With the new worry of extremely foul stools, large amounts of stool, and the frequency of her stools, I called her Cystic Fibrosis doctor. Dr. Caplan was not happy to hear that she was loosing weight and has had an increased number of stools. With this news he wants us to change a few things. Now Lainey will be drinking PediaSure because it is 30 calories versus the formula's 24 calories. PediaSure is not cheaper either as I found out last night at Walmart! $9.88 for 6 - 8 oz. bottles! Two cases will maybe last 3 days! He wants us to continue trying to feed her solids, but they must contain vegetable oil to add to the fat content. We are also trying to go back down to 3 Ultrase capsules before each meal and work our way back up to 4 as we deem necessary. We will do whatever it takes...she has been too healthy (knock on wood) to let things go down hill now! Luckily we go back to the CF Center on Friday. Maybe we will be back on track by then!

In addition to Lainey's medical needs, we have had other things occurring within our family as well as with our friends. On New Years day, Liam's day care teacher/director passed away. She was only 41! She had gotten home from Night Watch at church and was talking with her sisters at the table when she had what appeared to be an asthma attack. They called 911 and she was revived by the EMTs long enough to tell her son she loved him and then she was gone. I received the call about her death around 10:00 am as we were headed to Stone Mountain for some snow tubing. It has been extremely difficult to take Liam to the day care each day and not see Teresa's smiling face to greet us. Liam asks all the time, "Where Resa go?" He isn't the only one that loved her and it was evident by the number of people at the wake and funeral. She will truly be missed.

Also this week, I thought that I was going to have to hurt Sid after he backed into my Expedition on Monday. He was distracted by the kids and put his truck in reverse, rather than drive! Needless to say, my vehicle is in need of some cosmetic repair! After some yelling and fit throwing, I am feeling better and have given Sid another chance at life! :) Now we know what our tax refund money will be spent on this year!

Yesterday I went for my physical. Beside the continuation of iron supplements, multivitamins, and vitamin D, almost everything checkout okay. I did have protein in my urine and elevated liver enzymes, therefore I have to go back in two weeks for more blood work. This blood work will help her decide the next course of action. I also went to the vein specialist about my varicose veins. I am not one to care what they look like, I just want to get rid of the pain! The constant heaviness, numbness, and sore feeling that runs up and down my leg is extremely painful. The doctor concluded that I have small veins, and he would like to inject foam through the veins to close them off, thus resulting in little to no pain. Sounds like a plan until he says my insurance probably would not cover it because it is considered cosmetic. It would only cost me $475! Uhhh, NO! That is why I have insurance. I really don't care if my whole leg is purple, I just want the pain to go away! After speaking to his insurance lady (a.k.a. sales lady), I told her I would go somewhere else for a second opinion. Needless to say, she is going to check with the insurance company to see if they will cover the procedure! Now, that is what I thought! :)

Yesterday we also found out that Sid's insurance is not what we thought it was! The plans all had similar names, and it seems that somewhere between our conversations at home about health coverage and the person who works in human resources at the hospital, the wrong plan was chosen! Not cool. The insurance chosen is more for someone that doesn't need to go to the doctor and doesn't take any medications. Since Sid takes 4 medications and has to go to the doctor every 3 months for refills, this new insurance plan is obviously not for him! Essentially we have to pay $3600 out of pocket before it covers anything! Not what I was thinking would be good for the family when we put him on his own insurance! Unfortunately, we cannot change this until next year and he has to have his medications to obtain optimal health. So much for saving money!

I will try to post some updated pictures sometime this weekend! I am home with the three kids by myself until 7:45 each night, so I have limited time to post unless they are napping! Please continue to pray for Lainey's weight gain, less amounts and frequencies of Lainey's stools, our insurance, and test results. Thanks for all of your encouraging words and thoughts during these physically and emotionally draining times in our lives!

Love Always,
The Smithson Family

Lainey's New Year Gift!

2008-12-30T23:47:00.000-05:00

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

2008-12-27T18:13:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-12-24T10:48:00.000-05:00

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

2008-12-22T10:26:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-12-18T00:36:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-12-16T00:31:00.000-05:00

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

2008-12-08T00:28:00.000-05:00

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

6th Month Amazement

2008-12-03T23:41:00.000-05:00

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

2008-11-30T20:37:00.000-05:00

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

2008-11-24T23:18:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-11-19T01:00:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-11-17T23:42:00.000-05:00

"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

2008-11-15T17:21:00.000-05:00

"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

Can You Guess......

2008-11-07T01:15:00.005-05:00

............what I got today? Ummmmmmmmmmmm........Keep thinking..................

...................You are getting closer................................look to the left as you are thinking................

...................Ohhhhhhhhh Yeah, baby! I think you guessed it!

I got my ears pierced today!! Now all I have to do is put diamond earrings on my Christmas List to Santa!

Today I took Lainey to have her ears pierced. After seeing tons of needles and tubes in her when she was at Egleston, this venture was a piece of cake! She cried when the ear piercing gun made a loud sound, then all was cool! Lainey was a tough as nails. One minute of crying, MAX! We are still working on getting the marker off of her earlobe, but she looks so cute with her new jewels!

Georgia Girl

2008-11-02T01:15:00.008-04:00

"Mom made this Georgia dress for me, but today I am embarrassed to wear it! Florida kicked our bootie!" ....Maybe next year......

Too Many Treats!

2008-11-01T12:51:00.021-04:00

Halloween with the Smithsons was WILD, but fun! Sid had to work until 7:15, so I took the kids out for an afternoon of costume wearing, candy gettin', cavity producing fun ~ also known as Trick-or-Treating! Several of our friend also joined us for some Trick-or-Treating excitement. The first place we visited for candy was the square in Gainesville. After the square, we hit the drive-thru at Chick-fil-A and headed for Gigi and Papa's house to eat, although they were not there to check us out in our Trick-or-Treat duds! Our last big stop was at the mall. It was crazy! I saw way too many of my students while walking through the sea of people at the mall. Sid was able to catch up with us at the mall and he was thrilled to be at the Gainesville Mall along with everyone else! Following our trip to the mall, we visited a few neighbors for some last minute candy gathering before calling it a night! Logan had such a blast that he asked, "Mom, can we go Trick-or-Treating again next year?" Sounds like a good plan! It was fun, but the kind of fun I can handle only once a year!

Lainey is here...just can't see her behind Cookie Monster Liam! Logan was the poster child for the new super hero ~ "Chunky Spider Man" ~ who says you have to be fit to be a hero? Katelynn was the Hungry Caterpillar...eating the paper just to get to the lollipop! Iron Man Dawson was enjoying the extra weight his muscles added, while his sister Kaylah the blooming flower, slept through the entire event!

Mom and her boys!

Watch Out! It is Spider Logan!

Cookie Monster Liam eating candy..........imagine, Liam eating only junk food!

"Lainey Bug" trying to take off!

"No Liam! I'm not a Real bug! Please do not smush me!"

This ladybug has brought more than luck into our house....she is a blessing from above!

And why did we spend the money to dress Liam up as a monster? He doesn't need a costume for the title of "monster!"

......eating MORE candy!

This is the last time we saw all of Liam's costume.....

.......we now have the "Stripping Monster!" And yes, he is eating another piece of candy!

Don't confuse this with a gang symbol....it is his web shooter (since his mom would not spend the $29.99 for the "real" web shooter at Wal-Mart!)

The "Plugged Bug!"

Sugar Crash! Too much fun for a little bug!