Beau's First Day of Preschool for 2012 - August 17th

My handsome young man on his first day of preschool for this school year.  As you can see he was happy to return to his same teacher and same school once again this year.......Pretty darn cute if I do say so myself!

To get him to smile and ham it up for the camera I had to hold a mirror in front of me.  For those of you that know Beau you know that he loves mirrors and is constantly watching himself do things in front of mirrors.  He also likes to check out his butt in the mirror - not even kidding - so you see him checking out his behind and his new backpack.  His expressions are priceless!

She cried..........

Here I am on Wednesday July 4th, 2012 - Independence Day!  I am 39 weeks and 5 days along in this picture and am smiling in between contractions.  Andy and Beau and I had gone down to Hudson for dinner with my parents and during the drive I was pretty sure I was having fairly consistent contractions, but hey, I wasn't going to miss my mom's homemade strawberry pie!

After dinner I got out of doing dishes by sharing with everyone that I was having contractions!  I called the hospital and we got there around 6:30 PM and so it began......

Yep - that's pain - thanks mom for this flattering shot!

My labor nurse Tina charting away!

We were hoping for a 4th of July firecracker baby!  We figured for the first few years at least we would let her believe the fireworks were for her in honor of her birthday.  I was going to have to labor quite fast if we were to get her to arrive before midnight!  I was finally officially admitted by 7:45 that evening and my mom and dad arrived at the hospital to be an extra support system.



Things were going well.  They were getting strong doses of antibiotics in me (to help with the strep B), the fluids were being pushed into me (to help with my low blood pressure and enable me to get the epidural) and labor was progressing well.  Once I got the epidural I felt great and could have kissed the cute little old Chinese anesthesiologist. 

As midnight approached and I was at 9 cm, 100% effaced and my water had yet to break, we knew we wouldn't have our 4th of July firecracker.  The four of us, dad, mom, Andy and I decided since we now knew she'd be born on July 5th we would place bets about her weight.  My guess was 8 lbs 15 oz, Andy's guess, 8 lbs 2 oz, grandma's guess was 9 lbs 3 oz and grandpas guess was 10 lbs 2 oz.  I immediately told my dad to shut his mouth for saying such a large baby and we all had a good laugh at him and his dumb guess!  How would I deliver such a big girl?  Plus the doctor had guessed that baby girl would weigh around 8 lbs.  I had gained a total of 30 lbs with this pregnancy and hadn't gained any weight the last 3 weeks - she couldn't be too big. 

Shortly after midnight, Tina checked me and during her check the water broke.  Panic started to set in for me as I had flashbacks to Beau's delivery and the meconium.  Tina told me the fluid was clear - blessing!  I told her to get the doctor there quick because I go fast.  I quickly we to 10 cm and was ready to push.  Doc got there and at around 12:45 AM I began to push.  Three contractions and 9 pushes later, at 12:58 AM, Delaney Grace Weichers was born.

And she cried.

It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.  Doc's face was quite memorable as he said, "Look at those cheeks", "wow, look at those chins" and then "wow, she's a big baby!".  The nurses response was a quick, "Doc she's huge!".  I laughed and smiled as they laid my crying baby on my chest - something I'd never gotten to experience with Beau.

Pure joy and relief - God's miracle.

Now you understand why Doc talked about her cheeks and chins!

I held her and kissed her and said my thank you to God for a safe delivery and a crying baby.  She looked healthy to me.  Everyone just kept commenting about her size - at the time I just thought she looked healthy, looking back at the pictures - well.....she looks huge!  Next came the moment of truth.....the scale....who would win the bet???

Guessing her weight right on the money - my dad, Delaney's grandpa Ron!  We had teased him and said there was NO WAY I would have that big of a baby.  As they weighed her and said her weight my parents were standing outside the door.  From a distance I hear dad say very matter of fact, "I told you so." Delaney Grace Weichers weighed in at 10 lbs 2 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long.  And no, I didn't have gestational diabetes - she was just big.  When dad and mom came back into the room we all looked at dad and said, "How did you know she would be that big and how did you guess dead on?!"  My father, a retired carpenter gave us a response that was priceless, "I've seen a lot of pregnant women."  What the???  We laughed so hard.  After all these years of doing construction projects on homes who knew you were moonlighting as an OBGYN. 

I had requested from our pediatrician that once Delaney was born we wanted to have an ultrasound done of her head while we were still in the hospital.  I didn't want any surprises down the road.  If she was missing her corpus callosum I wanted to know right away.  They performed the ultrasound and I saw the prettiest brain I'd ever seen with the most complete corpus callosum - a corpus callosum that I'd only seen in books and in internet pictures.  It was all there - praise God. 

The doctors did notice a heart murmur so they did an echo and determined she has a small VSD.  The cardiologist said that it shouldn't be an issue for her and that hopefully by age 5, it will close itself up. 

Big brother Beau was so happy to meet his baby sister.  He is, as I had known he would be, an amazing big brother.  My very special and loving little boy will be Ms. Delaney's best friend and protector.  Below is their first meeting.

I think this picture says it all.  How could I not feel blessed and lucky to have two amazing little beings in my life? 

It has been exactly 8 weeks ago that Delaney entered our family and I am finally feeling like we have some sort of a pattern and new "normal" happening.  Beau continues to be such a wonderful big brother and while we've had some trying days, we are adjusting well and loving our family of four.



Delaney - 8 weeks old

 Above is a recent picture of Delaney - 8 weeks old today.  She now weighs 14 lbs 2 oz and is 24 1/4 inches long. 

Beau - The Iowa Boy (July 3, 2012)

So I'm a little behind but I wanted to go back and share a few things.....

Beau has shown that he is a true Iowa boy.  On July 3, 2012 Beau and I had a nice evening together eating some delicious Iowa sweet corn.  We were having a mommy/son date night as the due date of his baby sister approached.  This is quite possibly one of my favorite pictures of Beau.  His big blue eyes and long dark eyelashes get me every time!

Mixed emotions.....

Any day now our second child is due to arrive and I am filled with so many emotions.  Obviously I am excited to meet my daughter but I have so many other emotions that are taking over.  Having had such a bad/scary experience with the birth of Beau, I am terrified of the "what ifs" with this upcoming delivery.  I have the strep "B" again this time and there is no way to know how much of what occurred with Beau at delivery was related to the strep "B" I had then as well, or the meconium or the brain abnormality.  When he came out he wasn't breathing, they had to perform CPR on him and he spent a week in the NICU, having a spinal tap and many other pokes and prods.  The doctor has stressed the importance of me getting to the hospital right away so that they can give me as many doses of IV antibiotics as possible prior to the baby being born.  I just know that I can't go through what we witnessed with Beau again.  You're supposed to hear your child cry and scream and kick like crazy when they come out - you aren't supposed to hear nothing, or only hear the sound of alarms going off. 

I am also concerned about her overall health.  What if she has the same problem as Beau?  It's crazy thoughts I know but it seems like a perfectly normal concern to me.  Of course it wouldn't change anything about how much we love her, but it still terrifies me.  We have already spoken with the pediatrician and they have agreed to order an ultrasound of her head once she arrives so that we can see her beautiful brain and know that everything is all there and complete.  We'd prefer not to have any surprises this time around. 

I guess I'm writing this because it makes me feel better to admit that I am terrified and need as many prayers as I can get.  I know I've been praying a lot here lately and I can only hope the prayers have been heard. 

Things I've Been Reminded of Lately....

In the past few weeks I've been reminded of many things, both good and bad.   

I've been reminded that people are truly generous and giving in a time where money is tight for many people.  Our annual bowling fundraising event for our non-profit organization, Beau's Beautiful Blessings was proof of that.  The financial help our organization will be able to provide local Iowa families is a huge and makes me feel so good inside.  It reminds me that taking Beau's diagnosis and medical problems - which are beyond my control - and turning them into something positive like Beau's Beautiful Blessings was the best thing I could have ever done. 

I've been reminded that it's such a truly amazing thing to look down at my pregnant stomach (32 weeks) and watch it move and pop out as my baby girl moves and dances around.  I remember how amazed I was when it happened with Beau.  I wish that others could see it when it happens or that people wouldn't be weirded out by it.  I always try to get friends or co-workers or even my husband to feel my stomach as it's happening, because to me, there is nothing more showing of the miracle of God. 

I'm also reminded that not everyone is capable of being happy for someone experiencing such joy - the joy of pregnancy.  It's sad when those that choose to ignore your pregnancy and your joy are within your own family circle.  I then remind myself that they are the ones that are losing out.  Trust me I've been through miscarriage, partial molar pregnancy, a child with a lifelong diagnosis of a brain abnormality and epilepsy - I know pain, but I have NEVER, EVER made anyone else around me feel horrible for being pregnant or having a "typical' child.  I have always celebrated the blessing of pregnancy and healthy babies in others, with all friends and family.  It's just strange to me that you can be at a family event and everyone in the house ignores the fact that you are pregnant or never once asks how the baby or you are doing.  I'm not really surprised - it was that way with Beau, but a part of you wants to think that people can change. 


I've been reminded that we are extremely lucky to have the pre-school teacher we have for Beau.  Ms. Tyna is kind and caring and the most perfect special needs preschool teacher we could ask for.  Our prayers were answered this last week when the Waterloo School System granted us permission to keep Beau at the AEA 267 school, Castle Hill for one more year rather than transferring him to their school system.  Avoiding an unnecessary transition for Beau and avoiding the frustration for him of having to have another teacher learn his way of communicating, is the best thing for him.  It would have caused some serious regression and I am so thankful that the Waterloo Schools listened to our concerns and granted us such a blessing.  Another reminder, that as a parent of a special needs child, your fight never stops with getting them everything they need when it comes to their education.

Beau and Ms. Tyna

I've been reminded that you can never get too comfortable when it comes to epilepsy and seizures.  They can reappear when you least expect it.  Beau has had 2 seizures in the last 2 weeks.  They were both at sleep - his normal - small and both stopped on their own.  I remind myself that a) he hasn't had a bad seizure since October 29, 2011 b) the medications have done amazing things in slowing down all the electrical activity and allowing him to grow intellectually so much in the last several months, and c) there are others that have it so much worse when it comes to epilepsy and we should feel lucky.

I've been reminded that people can say mean and hurtful things to you.  I have come to realize that sometimes that is just the way people are wired and that in the end they are the ones that have to live with themselves for treating people so disrespectfully.  I am reminded of Mother Teresa's "Anyway" poem.

Mother Teresa's Anyway Poem

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

I've been reminded of several things all together in this one; That God has his hand in everything, the Internet is a powerful place and that having my ACC family is such a big part of my life.  God is the only way I can explain the close friendships I've developed with other ACC families.  A few years back my father-in-law was doing research online trying to learn more about this strange diagnosis his grandson had been given.  Along the way he found a website that led him to a blog by a mother (with a son a year younger than Beau) who has complete ACC.  Through email we began our connection and though we've only been able to meet once, I feel like we could pick up exactly where we left off the next time we are lucky enough to get to see each other.  We email, read each others blogs and have the occasional phone call and I am so lucky to know her.  We have the ACC bond and I know that when I need to cry, need to celebrate, need to talk to someone that "understands", I can call her up and she will listen and she will understand.  She truly is a gift from God to me.


A few weeks back, I received an email on our Facebook Page for Beau's Beautiful Blessings.  The email came from a mom with a young son who was diagnosed with P-ACC and epilepsy (5 months old) who had found my blog on the Internet - Beau of course, having the same diagnoses.  There's that whole "Internet is a powerful place" again and "God had a hand in it".  Her questions, her fears, her emotions, they all brought me back and reminded me of the early days of Beau's diagnosis.  Wondering what he may or may not ever be capable of doing, the mourning of the life you had anticipated for your child, and the ups and downs of epilepsy.  I have to admit that I cried reading her email because I felt like I was taking a trip back to 2009 when we were diagnosed.  You see, I truly believe that like my other good ACC friend, our lives were supposed to intertwine.  I am reminded of this poem below - I have only included the first few sentences because I know that both of these amazing women will be a friend for a lifetime, even though initially we came into each others lives for a reason:

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. 

I am reminded that when people reach out to you, it's so important to take their hand.  They may feel that you are only helping them, but the truth is, they are doing just as much for you.  I pray daily for my new friend and her beautiful son.  I honestly KNOW the pain and the fear they are going through in the early phases of diagnosis and I also know the joys and the beauty of the journey of raising a special needs child, most specifically an ACC child with epilepsy.  It may sound like I'm tooting my own horn, but God couldn't have chosen a better mom for Beau or for that matter, a better family.  He is so lucky to be with us and have the love that he has.  He changed my life and has taken me down a path I never would have anticipated going.  It is certainly the path that fewer people take, but man.....if they only knew how beautiful and rewarding the scenery can be........

So there are the things "I've been reminded of lately".  By now you're tired of hearing the word "remind" but hey, I did warn you in the title! 

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." ~ Psalm 18:32

Beau's Beautiful Blessings Annual Bowling Event

This was year 3 for putting together a bowling event to raise money - the first year all the money I raised was donated to the Iowa Epilepsy Foundation and last year I began our own non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization called Beau's Beautiful Blessings.  BBB raises money for children in our area that have epilepsy, brain injuries or brain abnormalities (like Beau) that need financial assistance for medical equipment, service dogs, special needs camp scholarships, etc.  You can check us out at http://www.beausbeautifulblessings.com/. 

Each year has been a huge success, raising over $13,000 each time.  It is so amazing to me that one little boy (with a great smile and gorgeous blue eyes - not to brag) can be such an inspiration to so many.  The event is always a ton of work and maybe a little more exhausting this year b/c I am 7 months pregnant, but it is always so worth it.  Planning begins months prior and involves going to several area businesses to collect door prizes (we collected over 130 prizes this year), collecting silent auction items (which, when sold made over $1,500), getting folks to donate baked goods for the bake sale we have at the event (made over $200) and of course selling sponsorships to area business.  Plus you need to recruit the bowlers!

Here is a link to a short commercial Andy put together for our local station, KWWL, which donated the air time to air the commercial.  The little boy with Beau is a family friends child, Jude who also has brain abnormalities and epilepsy.

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Every year the tradition is that Beau throws the opening ball to start the event off!  It's amazing to think that 2 years ago, he couldn't walk well enough to do it, last year he was unsteady and needed our help to get him up to the lane, and this year, he carried the ball himself and set it on the alligator and this is what it looked like......

This picture makes me smile.  He had no idea that 130 people were watching him when he threw the ball.  After he threw it, he was so pleased with himself he started clapping.  Almost instantly the whole place began clapping for him.  Ever so slowly he turned around, realizing that he wasn't alone and that he had an audience!  He was still so pleased with himself - as were we, his proud parents.



The plaque we have made every year and then engrave the top individual fund raiser's name on it.  This was the second year my sister (and her husband) won the award - raising over $1,300!!



These are my 2 display boards.  One talks about Beau's Beautiful Blessings and the other is an informative board on Disorders of the Corpus Callosum I made. 



Our family :)



My cousin Kaitlyn flew in that day from Washington D.C. to be with us and support us on a very important day.  Love her so much.



The bake sale tables.



Amy and I working the Registration Table.



Just a handful of the 20 plus silent auction items.



Getting everyone checked in - my nephew Lucas in the red hat getting everyone their t-shirts.  He's such a great helper every year!



More registration!



One of the many highlights of the day was Andy's editor, Ben and his fiance Ashley showing up on their wedding day prior to their ceremony to take pictures and to celebrate Beau.  It was quite special!

 

A few of the very important women in Beau's life - his teacher Ms. Tyna (2nd in from the right) and teachers aides from his preschool.  I should also mention that all of his therapists from the hospital were there too.  Talk about some great people and talk about a lot of love for Beau.



Julia - a volunteer for the local college (SLP student) selling last years t-shirts and BBB Bracelets

 

Me with Gerald & Stephanie Sorensen (my sister and brother-in-law) presenting them with their plaque for top fund raisers. 

A list of just some of the 130 door prize winners.

Mom & Dad working the door prize area.



Bowling and having fun.



Everyone taking a look at the silent auction offerings.



Bowling fun!



Serving up the pizza pizza!



Signing the scrapbook pages.

This is what exhaustion looks like!  Trust me mama felt the same way!  After all it's hard work being such a little celebrity! 

I can't thank our friends, family, sponsors, businesses, strangers, volunteers, etc. enough.  It was an amazing day and it reminds me that one little boy can make a huge difference.  Take the trials and tribulations that life throws at you and turn them into something positive and inspiring and worthwhile.  We are so blessed to have Beau as our son. 

Happy Birthday Beau

Four years ago today, the most amazing little man entered my life and I have forever been blessed and changed (for the better) as a result.  Beau Hunter Weichers was born on February 7, 2008 weighing in at 8 lbs 12.8 oz and was 20.5 inches long.  Although he had a very scary start and spent a week in the NICU, he is strong today and we love him so much.  I am lucky to be the mother to this very special child.  I love you Beau Beau.