To, Two, and Too!

Hello all,

I just thought I would give a yearly update.  Madison's yearly check up with Dr. Eccles is coming up and I just thought that would be a great time to have a yearly update on the blog!

First of all, we have moved TO Carstairs, which means we are now closer for Tyler to get to work, and closer to Calgary and all the action.  We are really happy that we moved.  There are many children and stay-at-home-moms in our cul-de-sac.  Madison has made LOTS of friends. 

Also, our little bundle of amazement it going to be TWO!!  Can you believe it??  I am just so happy that she is here with us, and that her omphalocele is just a thing of the past.  Sometimes I look at her and remember about how there was a really good chance that she might not have made it, or that we may have terminated.  I just can't believe it!  Dr. Eccles was a game changer for us, and I know that I have said that SO many times, but I just cannot stop saying it.  That is why again this year, we are accepting donations for the children's hospital.  That is also why it really makes me SO ANGRY when people complain about us wanting to do that!  WE LITERALLY OWE THEM EVERYTHING!  That place saved Madison's life, and it saved my life too!  That was the first place I was allowed to be a mother, the first place I could sleep beside my new baby, the first place we actually got good news, it was a palace and a blessing.  Toys are great, but life is better!!! 

Also, not too long ago, we decided to try to have another baby.  But unfortunately, that baby had problems TOO, and we lost it.  It turned out that when I went for my first ultrasound, there was no baby where there should have been.  It's called a blighted ovum, and after the egg get fertilized, all growth and progress end.  My body still thought it was pregnant, and I had no symptoms that there was anything wrong.  On July 30th, 2012 I had a D&C and the baby was removed.  Although, some might say that this baby was never actually a real baby or even a fetus, it was real to us.  After you take a pregnancy test, and you find out you are pregnant, you go on faith that there really is a baby growing in your tummy.  Tyler and I were reading the day by day pregnancy book, so we knew what was happening to our future child, and we were ready and excited.  I was 10 weeks pregnant when I went for my first ultrasound, and I was telling the lady how I didn't want there to be twins, etc, etc...Then she put the "probe" on my belly, and there was just a big empty sac, where there was supposed to be a baby.  We were so devastated. 

Life goes on and on, and we just have to roll with the punches.  Everyday I thank the good and wonderful Lord for giving us one amazing, beautiful, and wonderful child.  We would never trade her for any or all the healthy, normal, belly buttoned kids in the world!!!

Happy Birthday Madison, we love and appreciate you more than you will ever know!!

Pay it forward!

Hello there!  I don't know if any of you still check our little blog anymore, but I just thought that I would give a little bit of an update.  Madison is doing really well, she is walking and sort of talking.  She is super smart, and can tell you what sound a puppy makes!  A while back when Madison had her surgery, we asked Dr. Eccles if there way ANYTHING that we could do for her since she pretty much gave us our child, and she suggested that we talk to the foundation at the hospital.  So we did and we had a conversation with a lady there who wanted us to take part in the Alberta Children's Hospital Radiothon.  We agreed to do it!  So now the time had come for the radiothon to take place, it will go on for three whole days.  There are two radio stations that are broadcasting live from the Children's Hospital and they are Country 105, and Q107.  We will be on the air Thursday Feb 9 at 7:00am.  The lady at the foundation said that they save the best stories for the early morning, and considering they start at 6am, we feel pretty priveleged to be near the morning; but also we are glad to at least sleep a little bit!  We would like to encourage all of you to take time out of your busy schedules to listen in, and get as many people as you know to do the same.  Also if you wanted DONATING would be amazing!  We owe the Alberta Children's Hospital just about everything, Madison would not be the girl she is today, in fact she may not even be around today if it wasn't for them!  Thank you!!

One Year Young!

Well our little girl is over one year old now!!  She just recently went for her check up with Dr. Eccles, the first since her surgery!  Dr. Eccles said that Madison's scar looks great, and is healing so well.  She mentioned that when Madison is about 10 years old then we can start talking about giving her a belly button.  That is also when we will look at that surgical mesh that they used in Maddy's tummy, and if it is too hard and sticking out too much then Dr. Eccles may take it out.  However, all of that is a long way away so we do not need to think about that for about NINE more years!! 
So just incase you never knew, for Madison's birthday we asked people to either donate money to the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation or donate toys to the Ronald McDonald House Magic Room.  So while we were at the Children's Hospital for Madison's appointment we dropped off the money and the toys.  They were so excited!!  The lady at the foundation even teared up when we told her Madison's story.  We have a picture of our little angel at the foundation...

Madison was more interested in the stuffed animals on the shelves!

We also have some pictures of her first birthday!

What a pretty girl!!

Time after time...

OMG!  

Can you believe that it has been a YEAR!!  I can't believe that Madison is going to be one year old tomorrow!  Just thinking about where we were last year at this time, how stressed and worried we were.  How we didn't know if Madison was even going to breathe on her own, need heart surgery, or even SURVIVE!  I remember how all Tyler and I wanted was for Madison to just cry when she was born and poop within 24 hours; and SHE DID!!  Madison the Miracle has overcome more in just one year then most of us have in our whole lives!  She didn't need oxygen, her heart healed three good sized holes, she grew new skin, she had a double hernia repair, she had her full closure 5 months earlier then expected, she crawled even though they told us she never would, and most importantly she not only survived, but she thrived!  No, she never gained weight quite like she was supposed to, and no she never hit her milestone all on time, but WHO CARES about that!  I would like to suggest that we all re-read the blog from the very beginning, and just reflect on how things could have gone, and how Madison's first birthday is spectacular because she is growing up, but also because it is a representation of how people, big and small can do ANYTHING.  Madison is the strongest, most amazing person I have ever met!  I am so lucky to get to be her mother, we made the right choice a little over a year ago to continue with our high risk pregnancy, and not one single day has gone by when I don't thank the good Lord for giving us the little miracle. 

That's what she is...a miracle!  

Well hello there...

Hiya!  How are you all?  Here is a little update on our little one.  Well she has healed up wonderfully, it is like the omphalocele was just a bad dream.  In fact, sometimes when we look at old pictures or video of Madison we are so shocked, and saddened for Madison.  Before it was just something that we didn't really notice, but looking  back it makes Madison look so....different?  I don't know how to explain it.  Anyways, in the last little while Madison has gone camping, taken swimming lessons, flown to Ontario, taken a ride on the steam boat at Heritage Park, and grown two and a half teeth!  She has been busy!  She still does not crawl, but she has been making slow progress, she has recently learned to keep her bum and her head up, before it was one or the other.  Madison has also started to walk while holding onto our fingers...watch out Ollie!  She is super cute, and somehow she seems to get cuter everyday!  That is about all that is new.  I will be sure to let you know when she either walks, or crawls...place your bets as to what will come first!  Now, Tyler and I will start to plan her first birthday!  WOW how time flies!

Here are some pictures:

Camping at Glenifer!

Swimming in Glenifer Lake!

Madison looks a little cross-eyed, but she was having fun!

Madison LOVES the water!

Playing in the yard with Madison's new pool!

She won't wear her sunglasses, but she will eat them!

California girl in Ontario!

Getting a bath from my Nana and GRANDPA TIM

All the kings horses, and all the kings men, put Madison back together again!

Just thought that I would let you all know that Madison is doing super awesome!  Her stitches are almost all the way dissolved, and her scar looks good.  She rolled over all by herself the other day!  She is an amazing baby, in case you forgot, we are so lucky to have had the care and support that we had!  Thanks to all of you for making this journey less painful, we will never forget where we came from, and we will NEVER take Madison for granted!  We love her so much, and we couldn't imagine our lives without here.  And to tell you the truth, it has been kind of weird without the omphalocele, you really notice how skinny she actually is.  Thanks for everything!

Pictures of Madison's tummy!

Hello again!  I just wanted to let you know that we are at home, and Madison is doing really well. She hasn't need too much in terms of pain management, but she seems to need a whole bunch in the snuggle department, which we are totally okay with!!  She is having a harder time getting to bed for the night, but I am hoping soon we will get our routine back.  I just wanted to post some pictures, so here there are...

You can see she is a little bruised, but what a cute belly button!