Drew Michael

Ashton's Party

2011-02-06T17:59:00.000-08:00

Drew's friend Ashton turned 5 this weekend and invited Drew along to celebrate!
Happy Birthday Ashton and thanks for inviting us!!!

Snow Days!

2011-02-06T17:53:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been awhile I know. The last few weeks we've gotten pounded with snow and ice. It's been way to cold and slippery to go out until finally today! At 37 it was like a heat wave here and the ice finally slushed up some so Drew bundled up to head outside. Last year he was not a fan so today was really the first time he played in the snow for any length of time and he loved it!

Happy Birthday to our big boy!

2011-01-06T18:32:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's so hard to believe three years ago today we were welcoming Drew into our family. After a long journey it's been bitter to sweet this week as we've said good bye to our wonderful therapists and watched Drew embark on his new journey, including beginning preschool this week! We've been so blessed to watch him grow and learn everyday and are incredibly thankful for all the blessings God has shown and shared with us through Drew.

We will be celebrating his birthday this weekend with a Curious George party, but here are a few classics to hold you over ;)

Thanksgiving weekend etc.

2010-12-06T19:14:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy few weeks around here! Thanksgiving weekend brought lot's of visiting with family! Drew had a wonderful time playing with Allie, Blake, Aunt Dana, Grandma and Grandpa B, along with Uncle Tony, Aunt Tina, Kyle, and Danny! He especially loves his superman PJ's from the Benedetto's. His only complaint was the feet so we just cut them off ;)

This past week brought a few worries as Drew's heart began demonstrating a few irregularities in it's beating. Hopefully it pans out to be nothing, though, we do appreciate any extra prayers you might throw Drew's way. God has blessed us in so many ways and we know this will turn out just fine =)

We ended the week with a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Holsapple, a special treat as Drew doesn't get to see them much! He loved the remote control car they brought and the fact Grandpa Holsapple seemed to sprout money out of his ears! Money Drew used to buy himself a new Einstein video, still his favorite series. Hmmmm we're going to have to figure out how to grow some ourselves ;)

Christmas Tree Lighting

2010-11-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

Tonight was our town's Christmas Tree lighting, it was cold, but not awful so we bundled up and headed out. Drew had a great time. Last year Uncle Travis dressed up as Santa for Drew, but this was his first time to meet Santa out in public =)

Preschool Evaluation

2010-11-16T18:15:00.001-08:00

Drew had his preschool evaluation today as he prepares to age out of EI and into the school the system. He was so excited to go to preschool today. The eval consisted of 2.5 hours of observation while he participated in a small (4 children) classroom setting. This is the first time Drew has really been away from us or one of his nurses for any amount of time so we were a little worried. Turns out we had no reason to be, Drew had a great time! He's been talking about all night how he wants to go back right now! Hopefully he still has that same enthusiasm tomorrow morning when he gets to go back for part 2 =)

Getting so big

2010-11-09T19:07:00.001-08:00

Grandpa Witham's 90th birthday!
What's this daddy?

It's hard to believe in less then two months Drew will be 3 years old! He has come so far and is doing so well. Sunday we started working on potty training and he is doing such a great job. He's gone at least 5x each day in the potty and stayed dry every evening in a pull-up. He often has to be made to try but does go eventually. Next week brings his big evaluation with the school as he prepares to age out of First Steps. This will be so bitter sweet for everyone, as we've been blessed with an awesome group of therapists, two who have been with him since he was 9 months old! There other two started shortly after this and we know Drew will miss them terribly. For now he seems excited about going to school, we'll update next week when he's actually tried it ;)
Last weekend brought Grandpa Witham's 90th birthday party. It was so wonderful to get to see everyone and for Drew to meet his cousins who don't live close by. He had a small reaction to something later that evening, but this is just a good reminder to us as he prepares to enter school how very careful we need to make sure everyone is. I didn't get any pictures, so I hope you don't mind Emma, I shared a few of yours ;)

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T18:53:00.000-07:00

Drew had a great time Trick or Treating with Blake and Allison yesterday evening (Daddy is also thoroughly enjoying the accumulated candy from this trip), seeing Mrs. Lori tonight, and passing out candy. A very special thanks to our sweet neighbors who bought Drew an action figure as they knew he couldn't have much candy! Added to this are the wonderful presents from Aunt Denise and Grandma and Grandpa Benedetto, Drew's going to be more excited about Halloween now then Christmas ;)

Pumpkin Carving Prep

2010-10-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Carving is serious business at this house and Drew and Daddy couldn't wait to get started. Drew had a wonderful time playing in all the squishy, gross, guts as he said. They aren't quite done being carved yet, but here are a few pictures till build up the anticipation to what Joe will carve this year =)

Pumpkin Guts!

2010-10-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

MOOOOOO!

2010-10-19T18:11:00.001-07:00

Drew really wanted to be a cow for halloween this year, so, after several attempts here's how it turned out =) This will be his first year to actually trick-or-treat as several of our neighbors have kindheartedly agreed to provide allergy friendly treats for him. We are so thankful to have such wonderful neighbors!

Swallow study

2010-10-14T19:31:00.001-07:00

Wednesday brought Drew's fourth swallow study and he did awesome. Although he passed his last study a year ago it was quite limited as far as his participation and he has had aspiration pneumonia since then so we opted for one more. He did a wonderful job following directions and drinking/eating everything they asked him to this time! Thin liquids showed some penetration and pooling of the liquid but no aspiration!!! Purees and crunchy foods he looked perfect on =) We'll continue to practice thin liquids unless he gets pneumonia. Hopefully with practice and time his coordination will improve and the pooling with liquids will resolve. Once again we can't possibly be more thankful for all the wonderful blessings God has given us and how wonderful Drew has done!

2010-10-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

Drew had such a great time at the Pumpkin Patch! He was much more adventurous this year, feeding the goats, swinging on the ropes, jumping on hay-bales, and even riding the train. Thank you so much Grandma and Grandpa B for coming down and taking us to the pumpkin patch!

Happy Fall!

2010-09-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend finally brought some cooler weather, and just in time for some fall festivals. Drew loved visiting the festivals this weekend, especially when he won a neat sucker. Luckily, so far nobody has whooping cough and Drew had no reaction to his shot on Monday. Life is good =)

Such a fun phase!

2010-09-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

Drew has recently entered into such a fun phase! He's really finding his imagination and loves playing all sorts of games from Little People to his recent idea, shopping at Kroger! He'll fill his shopping cart with items, use his computer to scan them, and then bag them. Soon he's off again to shop for more grapes, apple blueberries, and peppers. His favorite part is delivering his "SURPRISE" to you though.
Tonight as we were clearing the table after dinner, Drew thought he would clean up his table too and even adorned it with his "tablecloth".
We are so thankful for wonderful blessings we have received and love being reminded of them everyday as we watch Drew play.

Up the slide all by myself!

2010-09-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

2010-09-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

"Ok, I am ready for Kroger mommy" =)

Kidney Update

2010-09-07T17:12:00.000-07:00

Drew had his follow-up kidney u/s and appointment with the urologist from a few months ago today. The u/s showed there was still a small amount of fluid around his right kidney but less then last time. The origin is still unknown, and while frustrating it is positive it seems to be slowly resolving. She said she will continue to monitor it and to call with any signs of infection. Thankfully he has never had any problems from it and hopefully we never do ;)

Jumping!

2010-09-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

Park

2010-09-05T12:30:00.001-07:00

Saturday the weather was perfect here! We went to the park in the morning followed by a car show in the evening =)

A Huge Success!

2010-08-22T18:57:00.001-07:00

Thank you so much to everyone who contributed both their time and/or money to support our team at the Food Allergy Walk. We had perfect weather for the walk and it went smoothly! Here are several pictures of our team spreading awareness!

State Fair 2010

2010-08-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

Drew was super excited to see Grandma and Grandpa Benedetto this weekend. It was too hot to go to the fair be we had a wonderful time hanging out at home. Saturday evening it was a tad cooler so he headed out to the State Fair with Aunt Dana and Travis. Drew loved Rily's Little Hands on the Farm exhibit.

Allergy Testing

2010-08-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

Well we met with the food allergist and as you can see he still had quite a few reactions. The first picture is immediately after the test started with the second picture being a few minutes into it. Egg and Milk were still the biggest followed by potatoes, tree nuts, & wheat. No reaction to bananas though this time.

Enjoying a fruit bar =)

2010-08-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

It's been 1 year 5 months and 12 days since Drew had the G-tube placed and we're finally ready to think about getting rid of it!!! At Drew's appointment on Friday Dr. Escobar was thrilled with both his weight and eating skills. We'll continue to thicken all liquids but if we can go without using it the next 5 weeks and Drew can hold his weight, he'll pull it out on September 13th! Yesterday was his first day to go both all day and night without using it since it was placed. GREAT JOB DREW, we're so proud of you and thanks so much to both Lori and Karen to all their hard work along the way!
Overall, Dr. Escobar was pleased with all of Drew's progress. We are going to be implementing some behavior modification therapies to help curtail some meltdowns Drew's been sharing with us. We'll access how those are going on the 13th as well. We have a busy few weeks with appointments coming up, food allergy testing this week, GI and ENT the following week, followed by urology and a kidney u/s the second week of Sept. We'll make sure to update as we get the results for everything.
Thanks so much for checking in, all your prayers, and for helping us cheer Drew on!

A wonderful weekend!

2010-08-02T18:51:00.000-07:00

Drew had such a wonderful time at Grandma and Grandpa B's house last weekend. He loved playing with all his cousins and of course going to the fair! Unfortunately we forgot our camera there so pictures are limited to ones from my phone.
Saturday brought more fun with the Benedetto clan. Drew LOVED Danny especially staring at him!

Fair Season!

2010-07-28T18:31:00.000-07:00

Drew's had a wonderful time going to all of the local county fairs! Last weekend was extra special because Grandpa and Grandma Benedetto got to come along the first night and Grandpa and Grandma Foster came the second night. After attending three county fairs and a church festival I think it's safe to say Drew is a fair professional. To end the week we even get to go to Grandpa and Grandma B's house to share in their fair =)

Allison was NOT a fan of the animal barn smell, she decided just to hang out in her stroller with her sunglasses and try to stay cool. Oh well, when your as cute as she is you can choose that =)

A great weekend

2010-07-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

We've had such a busy but fun weekend here. On Thursday we got to catch up with wonderful Friends Beth, Laney and Elli at the pool. It's been way to long since we last saw them but we had a great time catching up while the kids splashed in the pool. Laney and Elli have both gotten so big, it's hard to believe Elli is already almost three!
Saturday was the county parade. At 95 degrees everyone was a hot mess, but, Drew had a great time and loved seeing all the "big trucks!". He thought the best way to cool down would be to lick the ice pack ;)
Sunday was yet another hot day so we headed off to the kiddie pool and sprinklers. Drew loved showing daddy his pool skills since Joe hadn't made it to the pool with us yet this year. Sunday was also the opening of fair season! This has been a much anticipated event and it was a disappointment Aunt Dana and Uncle Travis couldn't make it but we look forward to sharing it with them next weekend.
Here is one last picture of Drew pointing as the Firetrucks start to roll up!

Watch Me Spin

2010-07-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

Drew inherited a Sit-n-Spin. He loves it!

2010-07-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!!!

2010-07-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

Drew had a great time at tonight's Freedom Festival. He even joined in the "Fastest Kid in Town Race" =). Hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th of July!

Swimming

2010-07-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

Freedom Festival

2010-06-26T10:18:00.001-07:00

This morning was the Freedom Festival parade. Drew had a great time and even danced along with the bagpipes =)

The park

2010-06-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

Drew got his new braces and what better place to break them in then at the park!

The Zoo with Elaine and Gretchen =)

2010-06-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

Daddy's...I mean Drew's new toy =)

2010-06-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

Joe and Travis were thoughtful enough to try out Drew's new toy for him....you know, to make sure it worked ;)

Busting a move

2010-06-09T17:45:00.000-07:00

Food Allergy walk

2010-06-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Drew has multiple severe food allergies. This year we have decided to participate in the Food Allergy Awareness Walk. Please join us in raising awareness and researching a cure.
Thanks!
http://www.foodallergywalk.org/site/TR/2010Walk/2010Walks?team_id=59623&pg=team&fr_id=1800

Memorial weekend part 2

2010-06-01T18:05:00.001-07:00

Enjoying a dip in the pool =)

Memorial weekend part 1

2010-05-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

Drew had so much fun this weekend playing with Grandma and Grandpa at the park and his water table!

"Arrrrrrr" said pirate Drew

2010-05-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

Pirates Booty sent Drew an awesome care package complete with coloring books, eye patches, and samples of a few allergy friendly items to try.
Thanks Pirates Booty!

Out came the sun...

2010-05-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

and dried up all the rain, finally! Today is the first rain free day in about a week. We went straight to the park this morning to burn off some pent up energy.

Drums

2010-05-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

Drew said he's ready for Kyle to come give him Lessons =)

MVI_0953.AVI

2010-04-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

Boo Boo

2010-04-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

Drew fought the couch....and the couch won =(

Busy doing nothing

2010-04-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

We've been really busy....doing nothing ;) Seems like everyday flies by yet there is nothing overly exciting to blog about. Drew has been enjoying all the nice weather we've had. He LOVES LOVES LOVES his bubbles from Easter. His language skills have exploded over the last few weeks. His current favorite saying is, "I LOVE_____" whatever you just asked him. Ex: Drew do you want to eat dinner? Drew: I LOOOVVVEEE to eat dinner!

We had an appointment with at the hemophilia center last week. They re-drew his VWB level an it was up to 60 from 55. (Normal range is 50-200). VWB factor goes up under stress so it's hard to get an accurate reading on a child because the act of drawing blood is going to elevate it some. My levels came back in the 100's which implies I do not have VWB. Joe is still uncertain if he wants to be tested. They will just watch Drew for right now.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. We'll try to post sooner next time!

Enjoying the warm weather

2010-04-02T18:46:00.000-07:00

We took full advantage of the unseasonably warm weather by meeting some friends at the park today.My friend Amber from school has a daughter, Trinity, who is Drew's age. They had a great time running around together. Trinity is fearless and Drew figured if she could do it he could too ;)

Yoga with Uncle Travis ;)

2010-03-28T10:29:00.001-07:00

Playing outside

2010-03-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring!

2010-03-23T19:34:00.001-07:00

In between running, jumping, playing, and signing, we managed to get Drew to stay still long enough to catch a few photos ;) Hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Happy spring everyone!

New Skills!!!

2010-03-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

Drew's doing a great job in all of his therapies! Recently he has been practicing using the nosey cup all by himself. As you can see he's really getting the hang of it. This is just one more great step in the right direction. Incidentally, we had to visit the GI doctor on Friday because the balloon on his G-tube burst and then got stuck. They changed it out and were very pleased with how great he looks. He's only gained about 1lb since last October right now, but has grown almost 2 inches! We may have to add back in one feeding for awhile till we get the kidney situation all worked out they said, but overall she was super please and he doesn't have to go back till August!

Hematology Results are In

2010-03-08T15:57:00.000-08:00

Wow, we have the results from hematology already, this was a much faster turnaround then they expected. Drew's testing did indicate he has mild Von Willebrand's Disease. They'll re-test in two months and then possibly once more but as long as the results stay at the current level they will say it is mild. This will also explain the petechiae, bruising, and random bleeding he experiences. All though something we definitely need to know about, it is very manageable. All other tests were negative.

2010-03-06T15:25:00.000-08:00

Drew got a new tricycle this weekend! He can't quite pedal yet but loves to be pushed! Hopefully it stays warmer out so he has lots of practice time.

On a medical front Drew had his hematology appointment on Friday. It went well all things considered. She tested for several clotting syndromes she suspected might be the culprit but assured us all were mild and easily managed. Unfortunately his blood pressure was slightly elevated which doesn't look great for his kidney situation. After many phone calls it appears there are just no appointments until March 30th so we'll just wait till then and hopefully his elevated BP was a fluke.

Kidney Test update

2010-02-26T12:47:00.000-08:00

Well after another round of testing yesterday, they do not feel like DI is the underlying cause. This puts us somewhat back to square one as for the cause of the fluid around his kidney. We will be following up with Urology Specialists soon and update everyone once we know more.

A few small bumps in the road

2010-02-24T15:18:00.001-08:00

Drew has encountered a few bumps along the road the last few weeks. As most of you know he was diagnosed with Chicken Pox several weeks ago. At this time they had decided to check his urine do to some possible blood in his urine and increased thirst. The urine came back with a very low specific gravity so they decided to follow up with a kidney u/s.
Well fast forward to this week. The infectious disease doctor informed us he did not have Chicken Pox but believed it was a Staph/MRSA infection. It is greatly improved, however we'll have to do diluted bleach baths for sometime.
Tuesday Drew had his u/s. The results revealed some fluid around his right kidney. It is only at a level one right now (out of 4) but we definitely need to find the cause. Drew will have to have some more tests ran tomorrow on both his blood and urine =( We'll make sure to update everyone as soon as we know more.
We have been so blessed to have encountered very little medical issues all things considered so far on Drew's journey. We continue to be very thankful as we have found this issue quite early on and hopefully are able to report back with positive news soon.

Snow Day

2010-02-18T19:19:00.000-08:00

Snow, Snow, Snow, we have more snow then we know what to do with! Monday Drew suited up and decided to brave the elements for a little romp in the snow. It took about 20 minutes to suit up and he only spent about three in the snow thanks to a face plant, but that's ok.With the weather man calling for up to 10" more we'll have plenty more chances to go snow exploring. It would be nice if the next storm held off for a bit though as we have a full week of appointments coming up.
Otherwise, Drew is doing well. With the help of some antibiotic cream his spots are finally almost gone. All though the first doctor stands by his Chicken Pox dx we're defiantly leaning towards the second opinion of the doctor this week. Either way, he's doing much better!

Itchy Itchy Scratchy Scratchy

2010-02-09T16:00:00.000-08:00

Well as of yesterday it's official, Drew has chicken pox. With a mild case he's handling it like a trooper. We assume he got them during our visit to the Infectious Disease Dr. as that was exactly two weeks ago yesterday...the incubation period for Chicken Pox. Pox party anyone ;)

Playing with Snow for the first time

2010-02-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

Infectious Disease Appointment Update

2010-01-26T16:59:00.000-08:00

Well Drew met with the infectious disease doctor on Monday. After much discussion, we decided to attempt the DPT vaccine. Drew is currently un-vaccinated b/c of several allergic reactions he had to them along with the fact that he seemed to have impaired T-Cell function.
However, on Monday we did do the DPT vaccine. Now we watch him for the next 10 days to make sure he does not have any adverse reactions. We go back in 4 weeks to check T-cell production. From there we'll have a better idea of what options to pursue depending on those results.
Unfortunetely it's a double edged sword. While we of course don't want him to catch any infectious diseases in the community, they also don't want him to have a severe reaction to the vaccine with potentionally serious side-effects.
As of this evening he has only had a slight fever and none of the neurological symptoms we saw after the last vaccine. The doctor felt whooping cough was the most serious threat right now so we are really hoping to at least get through this set. We'll update as we learn more.

Birthday Party with Grandma B

2010-01-24T17:48:00.001-08:00

Last weekend Drew had his birthday party with Grandma B. Drew had a great time playing with all his cousins. He was also of course thrilled to get more "PRESENTS"! We did a rice crispy allergen friendly cake and he loved it, we're adding it to our list of safe snacks at home.
It seems the weeks have just been flying by lately. Tomorrow is our appointment with infectious disease, we'll try to be more prompt on updating everyone with the outcome ;) Here are a few more pictures from the last week:

Bad Blogger

2010-01-14T17:29:00.001-08:00

Wow, I have been such a bad blogger lately, we have been so busy though. Let's see....Drew turned 2 on the 6th and yay, we weren't in the hospital this year! I think he thought the last few weeks were the 12 days of Drew as he pretty much got a present from someone everyday ;) LOL, next month is going to be a huge let down after all this. One more party this weekend and then no more "presents" ;)

Earlier in the month as some may know, we had our first foreign object in a body cavity experience. Drew stuck a chicken nugget piece in his nose...and then snorted it up there even further for good measure. After some congestion, blood, nose drops, and nose sucking it finally came out a few days later. Thankfully this seemed to cure him of inserting things in his orifices...for now ;)

Today marked a routine follow-up with Dr. Escobar. He was so pleased with Drew's weight and height, commenting he seems to be growing right on track now. We'll probably still be using the G-tube for awhile as his swallowing and chewing still aren't quite up to snuff but he is definitely moving in the right direction. B/c Drew's ligaments are still so loose he has been having some problems with his feet turning in. Unfortunately doctor Escboar agreed with the therapist he is going to have to start wearing his braces all day along with the de-rotation straps. Drew HATES these but hopefully grows use to them soon. We are going to follow-up with immunology to address some of the issues Drew has with his immune system. We are really looking forward to finally having a game plan to address that. Overall though it was a great appointment. Drew has continued to move forward in all areas. We'll continue with all therapies and expect nothing less then continued improvement. =)

Christmas with Grandpa Holsapple

2009-12-27T18:35:00.000-08:00

Sunday we had Christmas with my dad. Drew was so excited to see more presents. He also had a wonderful time "cooking" up some pretend food for Uncle Corey, Aunt Dana, and Grandma and Grandpa Holsapple.

Christmas Day pictures

2009-12-27T18:28:00.001-08:00

Christmas Morning

2009-12-27T18:01:00.000-08:00

Drew had a great time Christmas morning. He loved everything but, his kitchen has been his hands down favorite, closely followed by his train ;) We spent Christmas morning at home and then went to Grandpa and Grandma Foster's after lunch. Drew had a wonderful time playing with Ali! Great Grandpa Witham and Sharon got Ali a table they both had fun sitting at and setting with Allison's new plates. It was a wonderful day spent with lots of great family time.

This is Drew when he first got up Christmas morning. Lucky for us, he slept in till 8:30. I think we were more excited for him to get up then he was ;)

All grown up...

2009-12-23T14:19:00.001-08:00

Monday night as Drew was about to go to bed he politely walked up and handed me his pacifer saying "Thank You" (Drew speak for no thank you). Upon reaching his bed he then handed off his lamb with a polite "Thank you". As I walked downstairs I heard, "Thank you, bump, thank you, bump, thank you, bump" come across the monitor as he promptly threw all the extra pacifiers out of his bed....and he hasn't looked back. He slept with no lamb or pacifer that evening. The next morning I handed him lamby, after a quick hug and some pat pats, he handed her back with a "Thank You", no mention of the pacifier. He used neither nor asked for them at naptime yesterday. We simply placed them in his bed last night saying nothing, he simply tossed them out. He had neither at nap today. We brought lamby downstairs after nap, he played with her for a second and then moved on. *Sigh* I guess he's all grown up now =(

Fix It

2009-12-21T17:56:00.001-08:00

After intentionally knocking his basketball goal over SEVERAL times, Joe informed Drew it must be broke and we would have to throw it away. Drew paused, looked at him for a minute, and yelled "FIXED IT"! He then promptly got his tools and set to work ;)

Santa Claus is coming to town ;)

2009-12-19T10:32:00.000-08:00

Drew had a special visit from Santa Claus today :) He wasn't quite sure what to think at first. But he's always thrilled to get his picture taken, so he quickly snuggled right up with Santa. A big thanks to SANTA!!! :)

Basketball Goal

2009-12-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

Grandpa and Grandma got Drew a basketball goal for his birthday and brought it down early last weekend. We held off till he was feeling better to set it up but finally got to Thursday evening. Drew loves it....and so does daddy ;)

Santa Claus is coming to Town!

2009-12-06T11:58:00.001-08:00

Rumor has it since Drew can't go see Santa he is going to make a special stop to see Drew ;) We had to make sure our house was Santa ready so we got out all our decorations out this weekend. Drew was so surprised when he woke up from his nap to find the tree lit up. Daddy's been working hard on the outside, though it's not quite done yet. We also found some neat stickers for the wall...the next best thing to making our own gingerbread house :)

Helping Daddy

2009-12-06T11:53:00.001-08:00

Drew loves being Daddy's helper and today was no exception. As soon as daddy got his "knock knock' (hammer) out, Drew flew to his tool bench to find his. He really wanted to hold the shelves up for daddy...if only he was a little taller ;)

Thanksgiving weekend

2009-11-29T18:30:00.000-08:00

We have so much to be thankful for and had a wonderful long weekend getting to visit with lots of family . Thanksgiving Day Aunt Dana and Uncle Travis came over. Drew got to try turkey and loved it!!! Saturday Uncle Tony, Aunt Tina, Kyle, and Danny came for a visit. Drew had a blast entertaining everyone and was especially impressed with Kyle's shoes ;) Sunday Grandpa and Grandma Foster came over along with Blake and Allison. This was a great time as we hadn't gotten to see them since Halloween. Grandpa Foster just had surgery but his knee is healing up great! We ended Sunday night with a visit from Uncle Corey. It had been even longer since we had seen Uncle Corey. It's too bad we didn't have our video camera rolling as Drew convinced him to sing "Snuggle Puppy" several times :) It was great getting to see everyone and we feel so blessed to have such a wonderful extended family!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-24T18:14:00.001-08:00

Well we haven't updated in awhile so thought we'd pop in and tell everyone Happy Thanksgiving!!! Drew had a cold last week and was on breathing treatments so we didn't do much. He's still really enjoying his broom from Grandma and Grandpa Benedetto! Daddy taught him how to do "fist bumps" and Aunt Dana brought over her violin to show him.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, we have so much to be thankful for this year!!!!
We'll leave you with a few pictures of our most favorite blessing of all:

Here Drew was in denial nap-time was over ;)

Bop Bag

2009-11-15T18:34:00.001-08:00

As it's gets chillier outside and we're spending more time inside Drew has had lots of extra energy ;) We thought a Bop Bag might be the perfect way to get some of those sillies out.

Grandma and Grandpa B

2009-11-15T18:29:00.000-08:00

Drew had a great day Saturday playing with Grandma and Grandpa Benedetto. He was thrilled with the broom Grandma brought him and the whoopee cushion from Grandpa. It was a perfect day out, so they got to go outside to swing and blow bubbles, Drew's two favorite outdoor activities.

Halloween Pictures sneak peek

2009-11-05T11:56:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately I forgot our camera on halloween. Luckily Grandma Foster and Aunt Dana were able to take some though. Here are two sneak peek pictures. I am not sure why they are so small =( I'll work on making the others a bit bigger before we post them =)

1ST PLACE!

2009-11-05T11:50:00.001-08:00

Some of you may remember we had Drew's photo's taken at Kelly Ann Photography. She was also running a portrait contest that we entered Drew in. Well the results are in and Drew won first place for his age group. Last year the judges were the local police and fire department, but I am not sure who judged it this year. The prize is a $25.00 gift card to Toys R Us, a $75.00 gift card good for a portrait session with Kelly, and the CD with copyrights to all the pictures she takes during that session. Just wanted to share our exciting news with all!

Please Pray

2009-10-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

Please remember the Blackwell-Loveless family in your prayers over the days to come. Jamie, a schoolmate of mine lost her life today leaving behind her husband and 9 month old son. It has been a very long hard week for them with an ending we were all praying to avoid.
thelovelessfamily.weebly.com

Halloween Costume

2009-10-25T16:50:00.001-07:00

Drew is going to be BamBam for Halloween along with Ali who is going to be Pebbles. We're having some technical difficulties getting Drew's too look right so any suggestions would be great!

Drew's Pregame Dance ;)

2009-10-25T16:41:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for the game!

Contest

2009-10-16T19:30:00.001-07:00

****Edited to add Drew did not win, Zoe did though and that's the next best thing =)!!!! Thanks everyone for your votes.

A few weeks ago, we entered Drew in this little online contest and he made it to the finals. Voting starts today and goes through Sunday. You get five votes per day so please vote for Drew's online buddy Zoe if you get a chance also. Thanks in advance, here is the link, no registration necessary:

http://www.whattoexpect.com/photo-contest/index.aspx?contestId=19

2009-10-15T04:07:00.000-07:00

"CHEEEEESSSEEEE", this is what Drew is saying in the above picture, yes he is quite a ham ;)

Yesterday brought Drew's checkup with the pulmonologist and she couldn't have been more pleased. Drew hasn't been on antibiotics since June, an all time record! He looked great in the office yesterday though he was a little confused on why everyone was wearing masks. Which brings us to her next comment. It is imperative we stay away from all crowds! No stores, no mall, no church, no festivals =( There are to many respiratory viruses going around right now. It's easy to forget Drew has low tone, but coughing productively is very difficult for him and any of these viruses could become quite severe quite quickly. Throw in that due to his allergies he can not be immunized and we have a recipe for disaster. So Drew will be home bound for the next several months. Oh well, I would rather be in a house with him then at the hospital.
Big hugs to all!

I'm in a parade

2009-10-11T15:44:00.001-07:00

Drew was in his second halloween parade this weekend. We weren't planning on getting his face painted but, a few tears and a hug from mommy created a perfect print on his cheek. He also got to try his first sucker. It was a big hit as he was begging for more all afternoon.

Vroom Vroom!

2009-10-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Holsapple brought Drew a neat power wheels this weekend. Drew wasn't so sure about it at first but he is getting the hang of it now. Sorry I know it's hard to see.

Pictures Pictures Pictures

2009-10-04T18:26:00.001-07:00

Hmmm which pumpkin do I want?

Pumpkin Patch with Grandma

Riding the horse with Grandpa

Drew and Daddy

Drew and Grandma Foster

Drew, Grandma, and Allison

Time flies when your having fun!

2009-10-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, this year is just flying by. I didn't realize how long it had been since our last post. Drew has been doing great. He had an echo-cardiogram a few weeks ago that came back normal we are pleased to share. His current favorite word is "geesh" which he promptly responds anytime he is annoyed. Today he also has begun answering his own questions. He'll bring you a book and say "read?" "OK" and climb right into your lap, lol silly boy, that's one way to get what you want.

Ours days have been pretty busy here lately. Last weekend we met Elaine and her little girl Gretchen at the zoo. It was a perfect day out and they had lots of fun looking at the animals. Last week I started back to school and Drew got to meet his new nurses. Drew handled it better then I did ;) He seemed to have a great time with both nurses and hardly noticed I was gone. Though I was greeted with a big hug and Drew saying "happy, happy, happy" when I got home the second day. This weekend, Grandpa and Grandma Benedetto came down to go to the pumpkin patch. Drew was so happy to see them and had a wonderful time exploring the pumpkin patch with them. Saturday night was Aunt Dana's birthday celebration and Sunday we ventured out to the park. We have lots of pictures to share so we'll post those in another post. Have a greet week all!

Fall Festival Parade

2009-09-19T17:47:00.001-07:00

Today was a special day because Drew got to be in his very first parade!!! Uncle Glen and Aunt Christy are hosting a pumpkin patch this year and had a float in the fall festival. They invited us along to pass out fliers and throw candy. Drew was highly impressed they had corn on their float!

Here's the whole crew. Joe, Travis, Uncle Glen, Aunt Christy, Dana, Christi, Jake's buddy is in the white, and that's cousin Jake dressed as Spiderman. Spiderman was the hit of the whole parade, but, Drew wasn't quite to sure about him.

After the parade we ran over to visit with Great Grandma Holsapple for a few minutes. She was so surprised and happy to see us. As you can see from the picture Drew got quite a bit of sun on his cheeks =( Overall he had a great day though ;)

Great Developmental appointment

2009-09-17T17:08:00.000-07:00

Drew's developmental ped appointment went so well today we decided it deserved a post all to itself. This was one of the longer appointments as it included a full reassessment of were he was at developmentally.
The scores are in, Drum roll please..........................................

Drew scored developmentally age appropriate in all areas!!!!!!!! He is currently 20 months and 11 days. He scored 21 months in fine motor. Followed by 18 months in both gross motor and cognitive skills. Although these two were slightly behind his chronological age they still both fell in the "age appropriate" range with scores of 100 and 95 respectively (range is 115-85). This is a huge improvement over his last full assessment not quite 9 months ago which showed him behind an average of 6 months.

Dr Escobar has also given us the go ahead to attempt removing one more tube feeding. He will be following his weight weekly to make sure he is able to orally maintain his nutrition. We're hoping with a little encouragement we can began using the tube only twice a day. Dr Escobar is shooting for removal by next spring, though insists he won't rush it prematurely. This is wonderful news as it means Drew will only have had it about 1.5 years.

We are so proud of Drew and all the hard work he has been doing lately. We also can not thank God enough for the wonderful blessing he has given us in Drew and the numerous opportunities he has given us to witness his miracles and love.

Play Dates

2009-09-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

Drew has been quite the social butterfly in the last few weeks. Last week the Disney train rolled into town so we were off to meet Ashley and Tom with their two sweet girls Cali and Laney for a quick tour. Thanks to Ashley and Tom getting there early we had hardly a wait at all. Not bad considering the wait was over 4.5 hours by that evening!!! The next day Drew got to spend the afternoon playing with his new buddies Kelsey and Kaylee. Saturday brought lots of fun with Grandpa and Grandma Benedetto followed by a visit with Aunt Terrie on Sunday. Wow, makes me tired just to remember it ;)

Ride 'em cowboy

2009-09-02T17:46:00.000-07:00

Drew's physical therapist let him borrow this great toy to practice his balance. This is therapy he doesn't mind doing ;)

Not much going on

2009-08-31T12:17:00.000-07:00

Well it's been awhile since we posted but not because we've been busy lol. The last few weeks have been pretty uneventful. It was nice and cool this weekend so after digging out Drew's jeans we headed off to the park for a bit. Saturday was Drew's first trip to a golf course. He loved watching us play mini golf with Aunt Dana and Uncle Travis as long as someone let him hold a golf club ;)
Drew has begun talking lots more and loves to sing along with John Denver. He also loves to point out all the cars, trucks, and tractors he sees while we're driving. Last Wednesday was an allergy appointment but this brought no new news. He's still allergic to the same list. He did sample some allergen friendly mac and cheese this weekend that was a big hit!
Hope everyone's having a great end of summer!

Swallow Study

2009-08-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

It's official, we got Drew's final results of his swallow study in the mail today and he passed!! This means we can step down to nectar thick for oral liquids and in 1-2 months try....thin liquids!! Drew will finally get his first drank of water!!!! Of course everyone during the study was sooooo amazed he made such progress in such a short time and talked about how rare this is. But we know God is watching over our little man and just say thank you very much for our little miracle =) This is a huge step towards using the feeding tube less and we look forward to watching Drew experience a whole new set of foods.

Busy weekend take two

2009-08-12T10:18:00.001-07:00

Saturday started off silly as Drew paraded around in the crazy hat daddy won a few weeks earlier at the county fair.

They day quickly became very hot so Drew and Grandma decided to play in Drew's new sprinkler!!

Later in the day Aunt Tina, Kyle, Danny and friend Tyler stopped by. Drew became fast buddies with Danny =)

Saturday night it was back to the Fair with Aunt Dana and Uncle Travis. They had a great kids area that was closed the night before. Here Drew "rode a cow".

Next he got a cool John Deer hat and sat on the neat tractors.

Joe was bound and determined to win this game all weekend and.....finally he did ;) Joe, Aunt Dana, and Uncle Travis won Drew tons of prizes....anyone need a giant stuffed animal LOL.

Busy Busy Weekend.

2009-08-12T10:08:00.001-07:00

Drew had a busy busy weekend. Grandma and Grandpa came to visit on Friday night and we all took a trip to the State Fair! We tried to get a nice picture of Grandma and Drew but Drew had places to go and things to see.

The closest Drew will ever get to an egg!

Petting the baby cows with Daddy

Watching the tractor parade with Grandma and Grandpa

Audiology

2009-08-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

We've fallen a little behind on our blog lately so I figured I take advantage of nap time to get caught up! Drew had a follow up audiology appointment last Friday and unfortunately his left ear has lost some more tones and frequencies. He appears to still have normal conversation tone hearing but has lost most all of his low tones. This seems to be a fairly significant loss as it's only been five months since his last test. His right ear has no change and seems to be "age appropriate" minus the mild loss of low tones from last time. The game plan is to do another ABR (sedated *sigh*) test in October and then probably a hearing aid in that ear. They assured us he should be able to talk normally and comprehend speaking as long as the right ear stays fine even with a complete loss of the left ear.

Earlier in the week we met with the head of IU's genetic research department. We were hoping to get some more info on Drew's unique chromosome rearrangement. Alas, they couldn't tell us much other then they "were very interested in following him". Again, they agree with our previous assessment that he has far surpassed the expectations they would have for him based on what the tests show and they are excited to see how he progresses, as we are as well =)

Got Corn?

2009-08-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

Drew LOVES corn so much. He gets so excited the moment he sees it. He's hoping one day he can grow up and pick corn like Kyle and Katie ;)

Paging Dr. Drew

2009-07-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

Today our OT brought over her pretend Dr. kit. Drew had to be coaxed into the coat a bit, but then had a great time =)

Updates

2009-07-23T18:01:00.000-07:00

Drew's been doing so well these last few weeks, we thought it was time to post an update. After starting the new formula Father's Day weekend, Drew's desire to practice oral eating has just zoomed off. We have now been able to eliminate his morning tube feeding 95% of the time as he drinks 5oz of Elecare through a straw. He has also been eating red peppers and cucumbers for a snack with daddy =) At least half a hotdog or some thin sliced ham can usually be counted on at lunch along with some "Tings" of course. We are so proud of how hard he is working at this and hope to limit the tube to three times a day over the next few months. We are also planning another swallow study with the hope of decreasing from honey thick liquids to at least nectar thick.

Drew's also been busy going on lots of outings. Monday we went to Chuck E Cheese with Grandma Foster, Ali, and Blake. Drew wasn't a huge fan of any of the rides, but loved running around and dancing to the music. Tonight we went back to the county fair. Of course, once again there was a down pour as soon as we got there, but after about 5 min. the sun came out. Drew loved riding in the stroller, looking at all the animals, and watching all the people. We are hoping to go back at least one more time before it's over.

Fun times with the Spencer's!

2009-07-19T18:20:00.000-07:00

Drew got a great surprise, later Saturday evening after the birthday parties. Aunt Laura, Uncle Sean, Jimmy, and Sammie were spending the night on their way home from vacation. Drew had a BLAST entertaining everyone =)

Elli's birthday party

2009-07-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening we got to spend time with our good friends Beth and Bill. Their little girl Elli turned two, wow, time goes so fast.We celebrated Mack's birthday too, as he missed his. Drew had a great time playing with all the kids at the party! Mack, Laney, and Elli are all getting so big. Nothing better then spending time with good friends.

Day at the Zoo!

2009-07-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

Our camera died =( but we got a few pictures

Splish Splash

2009-07-10T18:44:00.000-07:00

It was so hot today we decided to cool off with a pool. The water was so cold as Drew kept reminding us, but he seemed to love it anyway. Hopefully tomorrow the sun warms it up a little =)