Happy Easter

Egg-cellent

Yes, we once again tried our hand at dyeing Easter Eggs and this year we were even brave enough to use actually dye and cups. And what a difference a year makes! Earlier in the day, D and Mike hard boiled the eggs (and this year they were even cooked). Preparing for breakage, they did quite a few....

Getting the dye tablet...

Once the tablet dissolved, D went straight to work. Quite serious stuff I might add.....

His first "masterpiece".........

And all the rest.....

Hope your Easter is as colorful as ours. Happy Easter!!!

Happy Voice Day!!

Next to your birthday this has to be one of the most special days in our household. Just THREE years ago we heard your voice for the first time since you were born. And man, have you used it to perfection! It is one of the things I love to hear every morning when you wake up and throughout the day.

Who never knew that from this moment......

We would end up here...... And be smiling the day away. We love you buddy and congratulations on celebrating another Voice Day!!! Keep it up buddy and always remember to use your voice proudly and strongly. You deserve to!! Love you!!!

Detour to Hershey

In addition to our detour to Johnstown, we also veered off and stopped here to stretch our legs and answer the call....

Hershey offers a cute and short ride at Chocolate World to highlight how one makes chocolate and despite the belief it's not all about the coco bean, it's ......

We have taken Daniel here before but this time he really loved the ride and got silly outside Chocolate World....

The real reason we stopped there was to visit Hershey's ZooAmerica. We did have a little trouble locating it, hence our need to stop in Chocolate World. All and all it was a very cute zoo and very manageable. It also allowed Daniel to run around and release some of his energy after being stuck in the car for four hours.

We did get to see lions and bears....

And Daniel's newest favorite animal - wolves....

Of course, no trip would be complete without the squeezing of a penny. Can you guess what animal was featured on his penny????

Spring = Easter Egg Hunt

Though Spring has not sprung here yet, our town held its annual Easter Egg Hunt yesterday. Daniel and I went there last year and had a blast. They do a great job and mark off our local beach into age groups. This year we were in the 3 & 4 year olds.

Despite the fact this Easter Egg Hunt does not feature the traditional plastic eggs to grab, the organizers do line the beach with tons of candy for the little ones.

When they were ready to start, so were we.....

I do have to say this year Daniel totally got the concept and "ran and grabbed." He was focused on "eggs" and much to his dislike he grabbed a bunch of the Cadbury filled eggs but thankfully no Peeps!!

In the end, he was quite proud of his overall loot...

And no Easter Egg Hunt would be complete without a hug from the Easter Bunny!

The Things You See When Traveling....

Especially with Mike! Since we arrived late to our half way point home on Thursday evening and being wired from driving, Mike chose to read from the guide books which were left in our hotel room. Lucky for us, because on our way home on Friday, we took a detour and had the chance to see this...... Wonder what it is? It is the steepest vehicular plane in the world. What? You might ask and why? Apparently back in 1889, Johnstown, PA had its worst flood ever and it destroyed most of the town and killed more than 2,000 people. As a result, in 1890 the Cambria Iron Company began construction on this inclined plane to carry people, horses and vehicles to Westmont if there was ever another flood. Now it is just a wacky tourist attraction for people like Mike to find and visit. Its has a 71 percent grade (as you can see looking down) and its length is 896.5 feet.

The ride up....

Daniel having no problem at all with the heights or the craziness of this adventure.....

Despite the wackiness of it, the view was amazing....

Leave it to Mike to find a jewel in the ruff from a tour guide magazine.

See Ya......

In TWO Years! Yes, that is right - we do not have to go back to Cincinnati for two whole years. What are we going to do with all our free time? I guess we will just have to hang out and enjoy life....

As you can see from the smile, D's annual visit to Cincinnati went extremely well and they have given us the window we were looking for - two years! In all actuality the doctors were quite impressed with how much D's airway has grown and how well it has grown with him. The funny thing is that is airway is so large that if he needed to be intubated they could use a tube as large as one they would use in an adult. Pretty Crazy!!!

And, even better news is that on the GI side of the equation his esophagus is right where it is supposed to be and did not need to be dilated one bit!!! Can we get a happy dance out of that one??

Daniel did great too at the hospital. Our appointment was delayed an hour and a half for some reason so our wait time was much long. Despite this, D was a real trooper, kept himself entertained and was a charmer to all who visited him. When it came to putting him to sleep, he did not cry at all and Mike and I got to see first hand why they call it "giggle juice." It was very funny and we now both know what he will look like high. He even came out of it great, with no tears and downed two Popsicles in record time. They were purple - of course.

All and all a great visit filled with yet another set of milestones. Daniel FINALLY learned (or truth be told willing) to buckle himself into his car seat. His rational - "Mom and Dad were busy so I just did it." Quite a true statement on many fronts!

It's That Time of Year Again

Yes, it is that time of year again for our annual pilgrimage to Cincinnati Childrens Hospital for Daniel's annual visit on Thursday, April 14. Our visit this year will feature an ENT check for his airway were they will size it and make sure it is age appropriate and is growing. He will also be seen by his GI Dr. who will take a peek at his esophagus to make sure that there has been no narrowing. (I doubt it given the way he has been eating these days.)

As the "road trip" and visit approaches I once again can not not stop and remember were we were THREE years ago and can not believe how quickly this year has gone. Of course, the thought of going back to Ciny brings such mixed emotions for me. I know in my heart Daniel will be absolutely fine and his Drs. will be so incredibly impressed by how he has grown and flourished this past year. I also know in my heart how amazing it is that we are THREE years post-trach surgery without incident and are already six months of no G-Tube. Where has time gone and how incredible it has been to Daniel and us. It still blows me away to look back on this picture and remember that day three years ago when we entered into the hospital with a trach-baby and five-and-half-hours later we saw this.... I can still hear the nurse saying "He is going to be a sedation nightmare" (Which he was!) and feeling so helpless but knowing he was in the best hands - hands down. It still feels like yesterday. However, the weeks that followed are a bit of a blur but the support that surrounded us, and still does, was remarkable. And as much as this yearly look back brings me to happy tears, and probably always will, I am and will forever be so thankful for the adventures we have taken with Daniel. The road was certainly not the one Mike and I ever imagined we would have to take when we decided to have a child, but, we are so glad we did. We have the most amazing kid in the world and we are lucky that we have been given the privilege of raising him. (He might not think so some days and God help him!)

It is also amazing to know that outwardly, other than you who know our story, will never have any ideas of what he has been through. Well, maybe when he flashes or decides to run naked through the house, which he does on occasion, the scars he has endured are nothing to him. (Thank God!) Another year done and here's to Happy Days now and in the future!!

Calling All Batmans.....

All one really needs is a IPOD and some flashcards.....

(And yes we are all balled up about what season we are in)

Do You......

Peep?

To Peep or Not to Peep???

Isn't that always the question this time of year??

So Do You??