DelFerraro Journal - ParentShack.com

My goal is to raise $2,007.00 Chase is a triplet 4 year old that was born with a rare liver condition called Biliary Atresia. We were told that Chase would need a life saving liver transplant within the first two years of his life. He had a Kasai procedure done at one month old that we were hoping would prolong this process, but it did not work. Chase's liver began to fail him fast. Chase went on the Liver Transplant list at 5 months of age. For us as parents it was the longest 8 months of our lives. Every single day we would pray and hope that this would be the day that Chase would receive his life saving organ. As a parent it was hard to pray for an organ for your son knowing it would be at a cost of another child. On July 26, 2007 our prayers were answered and Chase received his new liver. His transplant team at Cincinnati Children's hospital was amazing and his follow up care at Akron Children's hospital was just as amazing. There isn't a day that goes by that we don't thank God for the health of our child. There isn't a day that goes by that we do not pray for our angel donor and their family. A simple thank you does not seem like enough. My husband, Michael, and I have decided a way to honor our donor is to raise awareness about the need for organ and tissue donors. Organ and tissue donors and recipients are more than medical stories. They are our neighbors, our friends, our family and our community. The fact is ... Organ and tissue donation saves lives. For nearly 25 years, LifeBanc has been working to heal and save thousands of lives in our community. With the support of individuals and the community, LifeBanc can continue to save more lives by working ot educate the public and provide people with the information that they need to make a donation decision based on facts. Annually, LifeBanc provides more than 2,000 educational programs to the Northeast Ohio community and continues to strategically develop and implement programs and initiatives to reach more people and increase organ and tissue donation for those awaiting transplant.Making a financial donation is easy and safe- simply click the "Donate Now" button in the upper right corner or become a fundraising and invite others to help support the Gift of Life! You can see that our financial goal is set at $2007.00. The year 2007 was the year our son, Chase, was given a new chance at life. Please join us in raising not only money, but awareness. Join our team "Chance for Chase". Sincerely, Jodi and Michael Del Ferraro

It's Sunday evening and we're about to sit down with the kiddos for movie night. We're going to attempt getting through the whole movie of The Tale of Despereaux. Michela has been grounded for the last few days and tonight is the end of her grounding. My little sunshine decided to start up my car for me when I was not actually in the car. I could have killed her! I guess I was not moving fast enough for her liking. This past week went fast. Michela had a play date with a friend at a swim park-which was a lot of fun. Chase and Michela are little fish in the water. Mason absolutely would rather be swimming than anything else and Parker thinks it's punishment to have to go anywhere near the water. We're working on that-hopefully the swim lessons will help him overcome his fear. Last night we went to our first Cerebral Palsy picnic at Akron Children's Hospital. Mason was completely overwhelmed by the huge Elmo, Minnie Mouse, Orbit, Zippy and Mickey Mouse that was walking around. He would instantly start screaming at the sight of them. He did smile a bit when he saw his doctor in the dunk tank. I think Dr. Seghal spent more time in the water! Mason thought it was payback for sticking all those needles of botox in him the week before. What a wonderful picnic they threw for the kiddos. It was nice to see so many people that had something in common with your family. Last night after the picnic Parker came down with a fever and we ended up at the med center this morning. Our little stud has strep throat. Grandpa Ed also came along for the ride to the med center and was diagnosed with strep throat. We have a bunch of sickies running around here. Now for some wonderful news is that this is Michael's last week of school. He will officially have a degree in Health Care administration! I am so extremely proud of him. He officially graduates on July 26th, which is also Chase's 2 year post transplant anniversary. We have a lot to celebrate! As for me-I am enjoying the summer with the kiddos. We're getting ready for a trip in a couple weeks to Georgia to see some friends and vacation with the family. So here is the update that I have been getting yelled at for not posting *smile*. Andrea-I love that you love my family so much. I sorda like them too!

The last couple weeks have been absolutely crazy, but fun! My youngest sister was married on June 20, 2009. It was a beautiful wedding. All of the kiddos were in the wedding along with Michael and I. We could not believe all the kiddos made it down the without crying and screaming. Chase walked down with no problem, Parker surprisingly walked down with no problem either. Michela pushed Mason down in his wheelchair. My goal was to get him to walk down in a walker, but he just wasn't ready for it right now. I was crying before my sister even came down the aisle! The whole day was wonderful! A couple things happened prior to the wedding-my wonderful "ladylike" crazy daughter ripped a layer of her dress off before she even made it down the aisle. Then during the ceremony when the couple kisses for the first time all the kiddos yelled "gross" and disgusting. It was priceless! The following week we ventured out to Cincinnati for our annual transplant picnic for Cincinnati Children's Hospital. We had a lot of fun, but it came with mixed emotions this year. This was the first year that Mason was not included in a lot of the day. We asked almost every person at the park if he could even ride the Ferris wheel with Michael, but it was still a no. I understood, but still wanted him to ride at least one ride. I guess this is something I am going to have to face from here on out, but don't think I am ever going to get used to it. So we took the kiddos swimming and Mason loved that part! Right now we're starting to pack for a camping trip this weekend. Kiddos love to camp, along with mommy and daddy. I'll try and post some pics from our camping trip, wedding and Cinci soon!

I am sitting here early Tuesday morning. Michael and I took Michela out to breakfast to celebrate her last day of school. Grammy Bruna joined us along with Chase. I still can't believe our little girl is done with kindergarten. The boys started a new summer pre-school program at Calico for the summer. Chase is still home with me. The kiddos are recuperating after a camping weekend at West Branch. We had such a WONDERFUL time! Michael and I invested in a camper for our family. I was nervous about such an investment-but so far it's been so worth it! We've been camping twice and it's been great. It's nice to see the kiddos out and learning so much just from being outside. The summer should be busy-but fun. Two more weeks and my little sis gets married. We just had the boys' sized for the tuxedos-Chase looks like a little penguin. His belly is so big and he's so short-the tuxedo fits huge on top and small in the midsection. I can't wait to see them come down the aisle. Michela is more excited to dress up like a princess. Well - I am off with Chase to shop for wedding shoes. Then to fill up the kiddos sandbox with sand. I know I will probably regret the sandbox-but we'll see.

I can't believe how long it's been since I have updated the site! A lot has happened in the last month. April is national organ awareness month and I LOVE IT! I absolutely love hearing all the wonderful stories about organ donation. Chase was invited to appear on Forum 360 sponsored by Time Warner cable to tell his story and help promote Organ Donation Awareness. I'll update when it will be televised-not quite sure yet. We were also supposed to go to the Monsters Hockey game for Organ Promotion-but Chase was pretty sick for a couple weeks. He then gave it to me! The household was pretty much all on antibiotics. We're all getting healthy slowly. As for Miss Michela-she's doing well. She's patiently waiting for summer. Michael and I purchased a camper and plan to take the kiddos out as much as possible. No more tent camping for the Del Ferraro family! The boys...well they're boys. Parker has actually been growing up so much lately. His speech is getting a little better-still delayed but catching up. As for Mr. Chase-well where do I start? There were a few days I seriously believed he was the craziest kid alive! One thing he did was push his bed up against his window, push the screen out along with his toys and toy bin. A neighbor came over to help me retrieve things off the roof. They then pushed the screen out in the living room. We can no longer open our windows from the bottom, luckily they open from the top also. We've also found them starting to sneak out of the house into the driveway. I thought I had this house as baby proof as I possibly could-apparently not. Chase's new thing is rolling his eyes at us. It's so hard not to crack up. Mason's new thing is screaming when I don't get his food fast enough to him. The weird thing is that I love it! It's a normal behavior he's exhibiting and it's great. I still have to correct him, but love every minute of it. As for Mr. Parker he's into a stage where he calls every man he comes into contact with "Shawn". That is my brother's name and we're not sure exactly why he does this-it's cute anyways. Most everyone still answers him even though he calls them Shawn. Now Miss Michela has been grounded a few times for going through a "fibbing" stage. She can get out of the grounding if she can read one whole book without getting any of the words wrong. It works for me because I can get her to actually sit down and she tries her hardest to figure out/sound out words. Not sure if this is great parenting or if it will bite me in the *behind* later. We'll see. Tomorrow we're doing the arthritis walk in Cleveland. Pretty excited-the whole family is walking and it's such a great fundraising walk. Let's pray for no rain. So for right now-back to my spring cleaning before the kiddos wake from nap.

Mason had an appt. with his physiatrists (rehab doc) today at Akron Childrens. I just had Michela, Chase and Mason with me for this appt. It was much calmer and productive. Parker must have been the culprit at the last appt. The doc did some major checking out of his muscles. He has his next botox treatment on Monday morning. The treatment is going to be targeted more on his shoulder muscles and right underneath the arm to break up his arching/pulling back. The neck muscles will not be done this time around. They're also increasing the treatment in his fingers and thumbs. I can really tell that he's starting to tighten up and am excited for his next botox. Michela is on spring break this week-it's been nice having her home. I have a couple cute things that Michela has done this week. This past Sunday we were leaving for church and she grabbed her play cell phone (Barbie)before getting into the car. I asked her not to bring it to church. She told me she had to take it in case Jesus called. I just had to smile. Then that night when putting her to bed she asked me if Jesus was married. I explained to her that Jesus never married. She then went on to ask me if God was married. I had no clue how to answer that question-I was stumped. That is something I am going to call my grandmother about. I love asking her questions when I don't quite understand something. Explaining it to a 6 year old is something else all together. I love the innocent questions that make you think.

I am documenting my day while it is fresh in my mind. I will then re-read this blog to remind me to NEVER TAKE THE THREE KIDS TOGETHER TO APPTS BY MYSELF! Yes, I TRIED to take the kiddos in for a haircut. Just getting them dressed and into the car is a trip in itself. I am pushing Mason's wheelchair and begging the other two to hold onto the wheelchair and not run in the parking lot. YEAH RIGHT! I am pushing Mason, Chase ran one way and Parker ran the other. I finally get the kiddos into the salon and now realize this was not such a good idea. Chase is first and did ok getting his hair done. Then there is Parker. Chase is done and Parker is up on the chair. He begins screaming and crying. As I am comforting him Chase takes off to ask the lady in the next room for some pretzels. Mason is just sitting in his chair with a big smile. Parker is done finally and Chase is done. The hair stylist says to Parker "Your hair looks do good and you're done!" Parker replies "Rock on". Now is Mason. I have to hold Mason to get his hair done. Parker and Chase see this and take off running in the salon. By this time I am so embarassed and want to scream at the kids, but I keep my composure. The wonderful receptionist decides to get some coloring books and sit with the two boys while I am with Mason. FINALLY it's over. After 3 haircuts, screaming kiddos and tipping both my hair stylist AND the receptionist/babysitter I get back home. I have an hour to get the kids a nap and off to a doctor's appt. The kiddos slept about an hour and we're off to childrens hospital for Mason's appt. ANOTHER MISTAKE! We're in the appt. Chase runs out of the doctor's office down the hall. Parker screams that he wants fishies (crackers) and won't stop crying. I am sweating by this time and again want to scream at the kids. I patient am talking to the very patient doctor and behind me Chase and Parker are putting chairs onto the table! I fix the chairs and they again start screaming for fishy crackers. The doc wants to see Mason try to walk in the hallway. This scared me because it gave free reign to the boys. So, I go into the hallway and try to help Mason walk. Chase runs into another patient's room. I run over to grab him and Parker goes into another patient's room. I get Parker and see that Chase is carrying a plastic red sharps container! By this time I can feel the tears in my eyes. The appt is over and I get them back in the car. I go on to pretty much yell at how horrible they were and I am so disappointed with them. Parker looks at me and says "rock on". This was my day. Will I take the kiddos to another appt. by myself-NO.

It's Wed. night and I am sitting here with a glass of my father in law's homemade wine. Gotta love it. Michela is practicing her numbers and the boys are in bed. Michela is having some trouble with turning her numbers around, but I love the fact that she actually wants to try and get it right. She keeps on trying and trying. We're loving the weather right now-the kiddos wanted to eat outside for a picnic. So, we sat outside tonight with a mickey mouse blanket for our first picnic. Michela was upset about the fact that the blanket was not red and white checkered. She informed me that it's not a real picnic without a blanket that's red and white checkered. She's as anal as her mommy. Michael wasn't able to join us-just me and the kiddos. I tell ya this age is a lot of work, but there are so many rewards that going along having triplet 2 year olds. Parker and Chase argued most of the day over our St. Patty's day necklaces. Mason was exhausted from his therapy session. We added another therapist to the mix. He's getting an extra physical therapy session on Wed. at our home. She's great! She shows us how to use the things we have and adapt them for Mason. I truly think most children's therapies should be home based. Mason seems to do so much better in his own environment. As for Michael he's on call tonight-won't be home til later. We didn't get to see him yesterday either. He and his dad traveled up to Cleveland for the Cavs game. So for right now, I am going to continue to drink my wine and review numbers with my favorite daughter. Then...American Idol!

I am taking a break from going through the mound of medical statements. Chase is now taking a nap and I am getting some things done before taking Mason to therapy. The boys had a busy weekend! They're doing pretty well with this whole potty training thing. It's so different potty training a boy rather than a girl. Michael has to help with it this time! Chase runs to the potty every 5 minutes and there's usually nothing. Parker went a few times over this weekend - sometimes without even telling me. He went to the potty on his own. We have also put the tented cribs away-they're in big boy beds. We have had to take EVERYTHING out of their bedroom. We have their dressers blocked so they can't get into them. We put the crib tent over Mason's crib to keep the other two away from him. We went up to check on them after nap and they pushed their bed up to Masons, unzipped the crib tent and crawled in. Michael and I found all 3 of them back in the crib sleeping. You gotta love the bond they have. Actually, as I write this I can hear Chase pushing his bed around on the floor. He pushes it over to the crib to sleep in there. These boys keep us laughing...

I haven't logged in awhile and realized it was time for an update. I am sitting here drinking my coffee and the kiddos all just left for school. It has been so, so busy with the boys. They fight non stop and love non stop. One minute they are hitting each other and the next they're giving hugs and kisses. I have a gate on the playroom when I have to leave them for a few minutes or just to take a shower. The little monsters have figured out how to pile their toys and crawl out of the playroom. So I have lost my "sanity" room. Mason is doing well with therapy and has already bent up his new glasses. We have to go get them fixed already this weekend. Because of his torticollis his head turns one way and the glasses bend. Chase is doing well-blood work continues to come back within normal range. Parker is Parker. We've been noticing some speech delay with him and he may need some speech therapy. We're also dealing with some sensory issues with Parker. He wears a compression vest at school and we've begun to wear it at home too. I saw a really big difference with him the last few days when he wore the vest at home. It seems to ground him and calm him down a little. He's very active and all over the place (just like his sister). As for Miss Michela she is doing well. We're looking into getting her into some sports. I think she wants to do gymnastics - so we're looking into that right now. As for my hubby-he's been working a ton and when he comes home it's generally school work. His graduation day is planned for June and we're soooo excited. This will be the associates degree and he's going right into a bachelors program right after. Well, Chase is trying to crawl on my lap. It's Elmo time and Mr. Noodle! Today I am actually getting out of the house a bit to have lunch with my cousins. Adult talk! I am soo excited!

It's Sunday night and the kiddos are in bed. Well, Michela is up there yelling that nobody loves her because we sent her to her room. I seriously thought parenting was a lot easier. I think it's probably the hardest thing I have ever done. Being a parent, we never know if we're punishing them correctly, too much or not enough. There really needs to be a handbook on this parenting thing! As for the last couple weeks-it's been quite hectic. The one good thing is my friend that had the 25 weeker-the baby is doing well. Continues to be in the NICU and getting stronger daily. My cousin continues to be in our prayers also. As for the kiddos, Michela has been having some trouble reading and I have realized how different kindergarten is today from when we went to school. Michael and I were shocked at what they must know already at this age. So, we're continuing to work with her with the phonics/reading. Mr. Mason went in for his eye exam. We have to start patching his left eye to strengthen the right eye. His eye wanders and needs strengthened quite a bit. Mason also needs glasses. We took him in on Saturday to get measured and pick our his new glasses-he looks adorable! Now for the big news-WE SAW MASON WALK! Yes-I was tryiing to keep it a secret and work with Mason as much as we could to try and get hiim to walk down the aisle at Nikki's wedding in June. I shared my wish with his teacher at Calico and she agreed to increase working with him at the school. Calico is the best by the way! Well, she called me last week and told me our little man had walked in his gait trainer. So, I went in on Thursday and was amazed by this little boy. This amazing little man was walking in his gait trainer. It was added to my top most beautiful things I had ever seen. I could not stop crying and wanted to run to him the moment I saw him. I began taping his walking and prayed he wouldn't see me for fear he'd stop. Above is his video-he didn't see me until the very end. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Michael and I have watched it probably 100 times already. So yes, I could not keep something so wonderful secret. ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT OF THE VIDEO IS AN ARROW. IF YOU HIT IT AN HQ (HIGH QUALITY) WILL POP UP. IF YOU CHOOSE HIGH QUALITY THE VIDEO IS MUCH CLEARER.

It's Saturday night and I am all alone. I LOVE IT! I am sitting by the fire in my pajamas already. The boys are in bed, Michela is at her first sleep over and Michael went snowboarding. Michael's mom and I went out for a late lunch and shopping. I had a really nice, relaxing time. No kids to worry about stealing things, no husband ready to leave the moment we get there and nobody rushing me to get home. It was wonderful. Michael had the kiddos fed and put in their pajamas by the time I got home-the night was mine. Yes, Michela is at her first sleep over. She was SO EXCITED. She wouldn't even give me a kiss or hug good-bye. She got there and it was adi�s mom. Within the past week the boys have had 5 cold showers due to taking their clothes off and peeing everywhere. They just don't seem to get it! Potty training isn't going so well. Parker's picking up on it a little faster than Chase. The wonderful things that have happened recently is my sister is getting married and we're planning her wedding. It's been so much fun helping her. I love her fiance and this is the happiest I have ever seen her. The other positives are I am going to be an aunt again. Michael's sister is expecting and we can not wait! This year is going to be a great year. I keep trying to tell her that if it's a girl that Jodi is a great name *smile* Ok-I am off to actually try and read a book.

It's Wed. morning Michela just left for school, I am getting in my cup of coffee and I hear the boys starting to wake up. I can't get them out of bed until I have had my coffee or it will be a bad day. Michael and I went to Cincinnati this past weekend. Chase's labs have been coming up abnormal for the last two months, so the transplant team wanted to check him out. After the big snow storm on Saturday I was scared we wouldn't be able to make it on Sunday. The drive was beautiful and once we got past Columbus we barely saw snow. Chase and Parker went to Cinci with us, Mason stayed with my mom for therapy appts. and Michela stayed with Michael's mom. The boys were a trip. Sunday was also my b-day so we made a little trip out of the weekend. We stayed at a hotel with a hot tub/pool. The boys had a blast. At one point the boys decided it would be fun to throw all the towels into the hot tub. We were only 5 feet away - that is how fast they are! Then we decided to go to Barnes and Noble to get some books and I wanted to get a bookmark for my new bible (which I love). BIG MISTAKE! Michael took one boy and I had the other so we split up. They decided to start yelling "Chase where are you" and "Parker where are you" throughout the whole store. We had to leave. Anyways, the appt. went well and Chase's labs finally came back normal. We are so happy! Today I starting serious potty training. These diapers are killing us financially and I am sick of the boys playing with their poop! A suggestion from a nurse that sees the boys is to give them cold baths when they play with their poop or take their clothes off. They have had two and so far it has worked. They've kept their clothes on for the last couple days. Today is the real test - no preschool and they're home all day with me. So wish me luck!

It has been a really good day today. The kiddos were at school and Michael was home from work early. We were able to get some errands done before the monsters came home. My sister in law came out with her daughter Brenna and the boys were so excited to see her. Michela then had her volunteer from children's hospital come out to work with her. She worked on her site words, etc. Overall it was a very good night. We had most of our errands done so we were able to spend quite a bit of time playing with the boys. They're so fun to wrestle with. Parker likes to wrestle, but cries ALL THE TIME! You even look at him the wrong way and he's bawling. It's actually sorda funny. I think we pick on him too much-he's so pickable. They're all sleeping and I am actually missing them. Sometimes I will go up and grab one of the kiddos from bed for one on one cuddle time. It's a selfish thing that I do, but I love it. I think I am going to bed early, well earlier, tonight-Michael got a WII from Santa Claus and has become quite fond of playing. One funny note: Parker will no longer call Michael "Daddy". He calls him by his first name "Michael". Michael doesn't think it's so funny...

Yesterday, I truly felt someone was playing a joke on me. After picking up the Parker rabbit turds I was hoping that was enough chaos for the day. Not so! Michael saw I was having a stressful-get me out of the house morning. Michael's parents watched the kids after we put them down for a nap and we ran to walmart for a diaper run. We're starting potty training for sure this time and needed all the supplies! That was my day out-diaper run to walmart. When we got back Michael was called back to work and had to leave. I figured the kiddos were still napping so I'd make Michela a school birthday snack for her class. I was finishing up the snack and ran in the basement for my large containers. Got to the basement and it was half covered with water. The water tank died. SOOOO-at this time the boys started screaming and crying, I was half finished with her birthday snack and had to clean up some boxes out of the water (Michael still wasn't home). I finished cleaning up the basement, finished the snacks and ran up to get the boys out of bed. I get upstairs and found DISASTER! Parker and Chase were both naked, Mason was half naked (the boys stripped him too). They had torn up a piece of clothing and began feeding it to Mason, which made him gag and throw up everywhere! I was furious! Mason's crib was now moved. They had pushed their cribs up to a laundry basket of clean clothes I had not put away yet and pee'd all over them. I just started to cry. I was exhausted and frustrated. They boys started to laugh. I ran downstairs to get the mop and cleaning supplies. When I got upstairs I found Michela jumping on the boys toddler bed (still can't put them in that bed yet). SO-she was punished and sent to her room. Mason was stripped and bathed. His crib was scrubbed down and changed. Then off to the two boys that are still up for auction. I stuck them in the bathtub. When I ran into their room for one minute they had taken my slippers and towels and thrown them in the tub with them. By this time I just began to laugh. I truly felt I was on candid camera. All kids were in bed by 6:30 p.m. So today we will be putting our hot water tank to rest and welcoming a new one. That poor tank has been through the ringer with our family. Hopefully, this one knows what it's getting into.

Happy New Year! I tell ya I am sooo excited for this upcoming year. I truly believe it's going to be a good one - despite dealing with 2 year olds in their "terrible twos". Christmas and everything after was absolutely wonderful. Michael and I truly enjoyed the kiddos more than ever. It was hard after my surgery - I ended up getting strep throat and the flu on top of it! Just my luck! Kinda hard to be sick and take care of kiddos. Michael was off and able to help out quite a bit. Christmas Eve was probably the first time I started feeling better and we took the kiddos up to the mall. They had a blast seeing santa and ofcourse stopping by Auntie Annes pretzels. Christmas day was also very nice and relaxing. Starting last year Michael and I had decided that we'd stay home every Christmas so the kiddos could enjoy what Santa brought them. We grilled out steaks with my parents and his parents. The guys ended up playing Wii all day and the girlies relaxed. Mama D ended up having knee surgery the day after Christmas and is recovering well. Then on that Saturday Michela had her first school birthday party at Pump it Up. I think I had more fun than the kids. That place is soo fun! I have some video I will try and put together with my NEW DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERA from Santa. Oh yes-I am getting on everyones nerves already. I haven't put that thing down! After the birthday party - Michela's 6th birthday present was her ears pierced. She asked if it would hurt and I said - oh yeah. She still wanted to go through with it despite my warnings. We get there and you betcha she screamed as loud as she could. We almost didn't get the other ear pierced. She now loves them and shows anyone that will look at her. Miohela asked me if I would buy her some big hoop earrings - I told her she could wear big hoop earrings when hell freezes over. She didn't quite understand that comment. I am so ready for the boys to go back to pre-school. They're off this week and driving me bananas. Chase gave himself a black eye and whenever someone asks what happened to his eye he tells them either Parker or Daddy did it. Again-children services is going to be at my door. Mason had his botox this past week and they did it also on his neck muscles for his torticollis. I am praying this will help somewhat with his range of motion. My resolution this year is all about Mason. I resolve to work my behind off with him in therapy. My goal for this year is to get him to crawl. My ultimate goal is to get him to use a walker/stander. He and I have some work to do. Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year!

Yes, We did not have a great weekend. Started out nice-but ended up CRAZY. The nice thing was that we had family over on Saturday for "Night Before Christmas Party". Everyone wore their pajamas and ate cookies, etc. Kiddos had a blast and opened presents from Grandma and Grandpa Carr. Chase came down with a virus that night and had a high fever for two days. Sunday morning I woke up and broke a tooth. The broken tooth was so painful and cutting my tongue everytime I would try and talk. We called about 20 different dentists office and finally a dentistfriend of my mother in law's was able to meet us that day. I couldn't talk - which I am sure my kiddos loved! I am terrified of dentists-but after he fixed me up I fell in love! Never realized how irritating toothaches were and how wonderful dentists are! Then on Sunday night Michael and I came close to taking Chase to the ER room due to high fever and trouble breathing. We were able to control it through out the night until morning. Michael and I were exhausted from the whole dentist thing and Chase being so sick. Then on Monday morning Michael and I took him into the doc. Dr. Hackenber said his lungs sounded great and that he just had a bad virus. Took him for labs for his liver and THANK GOD the virus did not effect his levels. Chase has been sleeping non stop and slowly getting better. Then after Chase's appt that morning we went over to Akron City and I had surgery. My mom met us over at the hospital to help with Chase and Michael's mom took care of the other munchkins. I have been having problems since I had the boys and thought I needed a hysterectomy. Fortunately, there was another procedure that they were able to do instead. I didn't have to go through with the hysterectomy and the procedure had a shorter recovery time. Let's pray this surgery was a success and no hysterectomy will be needed in the future! The surgery went well - but after this whole weekend and yesterday Michael and I are EXHAUSTED! He's off next week for a Christmas vacation and we're hoping for a very quiet and peaceful week. Let's keep our fingers crossed! OH and to top it off our computer broke! So-if you get my Christmas card late I apologize. I only got half out before the computer fried out! All my addresses are on my computer. It's being fixed and we won't have it for another two weeks. *smile* When it rains-it pours!

The boys just layed down for a nap and I am sitting here enjoying the quiet for an hour or so. The boys are getting harder and harder by the day to take care of and it's frustrating. I get so frustrated at times-then realize some parents would love my frustration right now. I think I get more emotional around the holidays. I love the kids more than life and just thank God I have them. Michela had a bad night last night and would not go to bed. She yelled at me for over an hour from her room. Finally I called her down and asked her why she was so mad at me. She told me "she was disappointed with me and upset". I tried so hard not to smile. She was upset because she didn't feel like she spent enough time with me before she went to bed. I explained to her that we spent time decorating the Christmas tree. She told me that wasn't spending time-spending time was sitting next to me on the couch. I wanted to grab and kiss her, but explained to her that we could spend time in different ways and needed to STOP throwing her tantrums. She then smiled and agreed we'd spend time together tomorrow night. I guess I realized that my spending time with the kids and their spending time is something completely different. She's growing up way too fast. Now for the boys-oh my gosh! They both strip out of their clothes two to three times a day. I found them in the playroom today butt naked. They just smile when they're caught. This past weekend was great. On Saturday our family rented a hall and had their Christmas get together. Our family is getting so large that we have to rent a place now to exchange gifts, etc. We had such a nice time then after we went on the Polar Express. Akron Children's hospital sent us tickets donated by an Akron Police Dept. Sgt. The kiddos LOVED it! It was a bit overwhelming for Michael and I-but the kiddos faces was well worth it. They wanted to be EVERYWHERE! Akron Beacon Journal did an article on the Polar Express. You can read it at http://www.ohio.com/news/35696479.html The kiddos were in the paper and a video was made that is adorable. I will try and post some of my pics. As for Mr. Mason-he's still my buddy. His PT moved to another building and I had a major break down because of it. We've been with her so long I didn't think anyone could take her place (sorda protective over Mason). I am trying to look at it like a new therapist may bring new ideas and trying to embrace the change. I am off to try and get some Christmas cards out -yes, I think I can send some out this year!

I am finding it harder and harder to get on the website and post. The kiddos take so much of my time anymore and I am exhausted by night time. The boys are soooooo busy! SO crazy and SOOO CUTE. Chase has become a pain in my rear - in a loving way. The boy is a stripper! He takes his clothes off every chance he gets. He not only takes his clothes off-but Parker's and Mason's too! Everytime I go into the bedroom he has stripped everyone down. I thought I would get smarter than a two year old and start to put his pj's on backwards. Didn't work! He would take Parker's off then Parker would take Chase's off. THEN-I thought I would take some great advice from a friend that used to do this and duct tape his diaper and clothes. I would put them on backwards and duct tape the zipper. STILL DIDN'T WORK! I checked on them during nap time to see if they were sleeping and lovely Chase tore the duct tape off Parker then Parker's clothes. Parker pooped all over the bed and threw it around the room. I was at my wits end and put all the sheets in the washer and kids in the bathtub - then the motor went out in the washer. I had to take all the poop water and sheets out of the washer in order to have it fixed. So that is why I have not been able to get on as much! Michela is still loving school and thinks she's hot stuff that she can read some words now. I have to watch secretly spelling words in front of her now, because she picks up on what I am saying. Chase picks up too much. His new thing is shut up and shit. I have no clue where he got those words from! Must be the grandparents *smile*. One great thing that happend this week is Mason got his wheel chair. He is a stud on wheels! I'll try and take some pics tomorrow and post them. As for Michael and I we celebrated out 8 year wedding anniversary yesterday. The past 8 years have seemed like a lifetime. We are so blessed to be together and still like each other! He's the best... As for Thanksgiving-we're having it at our house this year. Yes, it's my first time cooking a turkey. Wish me luck! I had no clue there was a bag of yucky stuff in the butt of the turkey! I thought I had got it all out of the cavity until my mom told me to put my hand in the turkey's rear end. So gross! I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know Michael and I are so thankful for so much - most of all the wine during dinner *smile*. Love ya!

I have received a few messages wondering why I haven't update the parentshack. These kiddos are keeping me quite busy. We do have some new updates. One, I can finally wear shoes! YAY! Toe is getting much better and I can chase after the kiddos again. Mason-he's had a busy month. He seems to be doing better from his second botox injections. He's rolling over more at home and is much more relaxed and not as spastic. He was sized for his wheelchair, which should be in soon. He's been an absolute doll lately-he's really trying to make sounds and talk. As for Mr. Parker-he's been sick this past week. We dressed him up as tin man for a party we went to this past weekend. He HATED his costume. I think he mostly hated the hat I made him wear for pictures. Chase-he's also been sick. Not sure if it's his allergies or what's bothering him. He has dark circles under his eyes and runny nose. I think I am going to try and get him into the doctor tomorrow. Miss Michela is doing great. She loves school! I took her and Mason to the dentist today. That was a trip. Doc asked Michela if she brushed her teeth every night. Her response was yes, but sometimes I forget to brush and forget to water the plants outside. I have NO clue where she got that comment from. I think she was thinking about the tomato plants that died over a month ago! Well, Miss Michela has to have a tooth pulled in two weeks. One of her teeth is pretty infected. It was a late 'bloomer' and a bad tooth all together. Next Wed. is the terrible twosomes dentist appts. I will have a bottle of wine chilling for me after that appt. That poor dentist. Chase HATES to have his teeth brushed. He punches me every chance he gets. As for Michael and I were doing good. Michael's on call tonight and the kiddos are sleeping. It's actually quiet around here-something I am not quite used to.

First off-if anyone is THINKING on having bunion surgery-please think again. This is so painful! I am still walking around funny and in pain every night. The kids are taking way too much advantage of their much slower mom. The other morning I turned around and noticed Parker was following me-LIMPING! He was mocking me! I've noticed them doing it a couple times in the play room. Instead of running or jumping like normal two year olds-I find Parker and Chase limping around the playroom with Mason cracking up. Gotta love them& One nice thing that has happened is that Life Banc (they educate people about the importance of being on organ donor) has asked to do a story on our family to promote organ donation. Of course we said yes and were honored. In the mean time, we met with a journalist and the second step was to meet with a photographer for family photo shoot. We already started getting anxiety about the shoot-by the way was during dinner time. We get to the shoot and they staff was running a little behind * First red flag* Secondly, it was very hot. Not good. Thirdly, my foot was bothering me a little more than usual and I was pretty cranky. We get to the shoot and end up waiting and having to keep the 4 kiddos somewhat quiet. Parker and Chase wanted to grab and touch anything and everything they could put their hands on in the 'not so baby proofed' studio. Michela was her little diva self and wanted her pictures taken right then-not later. Picture time came and we were all sitting down on the floor trying to get some composure. Parker decided that every time the photographer said "ok smile" he'd stick his tongue out. EVERY PICTURE! Then Chase was crabby and told the photographer NO every chance he'd get. THEN-I turn around and Michela is making funny faces and sticking her tongue out. She was instigating her brothers. Michael and I were sweating by this time and extremely frustrated. The photographer eventually said he was going to try and make what he could out of our session-our CRAZY session. Sooo-if you don't get a good Christmas card with the kiddos pics on it this year-you'll know why! As for Michael, he's been wonderful in helping me with the kids. During the day I cannot rest my foot and by night time it's throbbing. Michela still loves school. When asked what she's learned-it's still the monkey bars, basketball or jump roping. Luckily her teacher keeps us in the loop. We LOVE Miss Hill. As for Chase-he talks more than ever. I am amazed at his language-not really liking the repeating of EVERYTHING I say-but he's grasping words really well. One funny thing is he's terribly scared of this stuffed lion we have that sings 'In the jungle'. He's so frightened that I have had to use it for punishment. Yes, I am horrible. He kept getting into my cupboards-so that is now where the lion sleeps. Chase is no longer in my cupboards *grin* Now Mr. Mason, he's been a little stud lately. He got his second botox injections last week. The doc did it in the arms, hands, and finger and pectoral muscles. Mason has also been using a Kid Cart at school. It's between a wheel chair and a stroller. Michael and I met with his PT today and we're hoping to get him sized up with his own chair next week. I saw him in it for the first time yesterday. I didn't realize how much it would bother me to see him in a chair. I knew the day was coming. It was sorda like a reality check that he's getting bigger and we need to adapt more things at home for him. He is happy and that is all that matters. Ok-I am off to try and get some rest while they are taking their naps. Ok-maybe not. I just heard the first kiddo yell Mommy.

OK-now I am venting. I am in complete disgust in how the word 'retard' is being thrown around lately. It's being used more than ever now that Sarah Palin is running for VP. Her child was diagnoesd with Down Syndrome. I have cringed everytime I hear that word. For instance, one hospitalization when Mason was admitted a nurse came into his room by accident, she wasn't watching where she was going. This same nurse looked at me and said "Oh, I am so sorry I am such a retard." I sat there in disbelief. Did she even realize my child has a disability. Whether or not she knew or not I wanted to hit her upside the head. I hate the fact that people use it to label someone that has done something "stupid" or "silly." Mentally "retarded" individuals are NOT stupid! This is such a hurtful word and people need to stop using it in a dergogatory manner. Last night Michael came home and told me that people are printing shirts saying "Retarded babies for Palin". My stomach just knotted up. How hurtful are people and how ignorant are the people that think this is funny. Oh and to the people that think it is funny to mock how people with cerebral palsy talk make me sick to my stomach. Yes, I have run into these people too. It has always bothered me the ignorance of some people, but now that I have a child with a disability it makes me sad and it's hurtful. Some people have mental retardation (intellectual disabilities). While mental retardation is not a bad word, when used to describe someone or something you think is bad or stupid it becomes another thoughtless hurtful word. People with intellectual disabilities are not bad. Their condition is not bad. The prejudice and discrimination to people with intellectual disabilities is BAD and WRONG! Please stop using the word retard.. It hurts individuals and families of those with disabilities. I have kept my mouth shut when people have used the word "retard" around me. I was actually afraid to say something, afraid people would think I was being over sensitive. I am ashamed of myself for keeping quiet so long. And to the people that think those shirts are funny-you're sick.

I think my kids have completely given themselves to the terrible 2's. First off the day before my foot surgery I cleaned the house spotless and grocery shopped for Michael and the kids to last them until I could make it out again. Well, the kiddos must have known I had things to get done because they tried everything in their power to prevent me from getting my chores completed. I was cleaning Michela's room and THOUGHT the boys were napping. All of a sudden Parker is at Michela's door waving and saying "Hi mom". Yes, he climbed out of his crib. My worst nightmare! I was hoping it was a onetime thing. YEAH RIGHT! I put him back in bed and within two minutes he was out again. He had then woken up the other boys by then so I decided to just give them their baths early. Bathed them and changed them for the night. I love clean little boys that smell so cute. I tried to put them back down for a nap-still hadn't gotten anything done. I was praying Parker was tired enough he wouldn't climb out. I ran downstairs to wash some clothes, came back upstairs and couldn't find Parker. He climbed out of his bed-ran into our bathroom and covered his hair with Michael's hair gel. Back into the tub he went. By then Mason was crying-he had puked all over his crib (ate too much at lunch). Back into the bathtub he went! Nap time was over. I brought them downstairs with me to play. The boys were in the living room laughing so hard. I was in the kitchen emptying the dishwasher. I decided to go see what they were laughing at. Apparently, they figured out how to take off Mason's diaper and decided that his "winchenzo" (private part) was the funniest thing they have ever seen. They're all staring and flicking his winchenzo and laughing. Mason included! By this time I was so frustrated (again). I brought them upstairs-put them into their crib while I cleaned their room. Changed their sheets and put clothes away - during this time Mason's diaper had fallen off and he peed all over his crib. Sheets were changed again and he was bathed once more. I wanted to cry by this time. Still hadn't done any grocery shopping. Michael got home from work and we had to figure out how to keep Parker in his bed. He's not ready (we're not ready) for toddler beds quite yet. We tried to put a sheet over the top of the crib-he got that off. We tried to push his crib against the wall and push the other boys crib against his crib. He just climbed out his crib, into Chase's crib, into Mason's crib and out again. I tried looking online for the crib dome tents. I found them at babies r us, which is 40 minutes away and its 8:00 p.m. by then. I knew I would be off my feet for at least a week and we had to come up with something that night. I took Parker's bed skirt and cut slits into the skirt to make ties. We put it over the top of the crib and tied it around the railings. He didn't like it at first, but we made it fun "tent time". He thought it was a game. Yes, we look like the Beverly Hillbillies-but Parker is staying in his crib at night until we are able to go get the crib tent. Finally, at 8:00 p.m I was able to do my grocery shopping. Michael and I had to be at the hospital the next morning at 6:00 a.m. for my foot surgery. Surgery went well-I was a little out of it coming out from the anesthesia and said some WEIRD things to the doc. He and Michael got a good laugh out of it. It's been pretty painful, but today I go and get all the bandages off and I am sure it will feel a lot better. Oh and did I add that the night of my surgery we heard little footsteps in the boy's room. Chase climbed out of his crib. We were able to lower his a little more and his little legs can't climb over anymore. He wasnt too happy.

Yes, it's been a very good week. First good news is that we took Chase for his yearly check up in Cincinnati. CAME BACK GREAT! Our little man is such a trooper! After tons of testing everything came back even better than expected. His blood work now shows no signs of the ebv virus. Starting on Sept. 30th Chase will be on only ONE medication. SOOO HAPPY! Secondly, Mason is rolling over more. I saw him roll over twice this past week. He's doing great! Parker-well, Parker. He's sooo lucky he's cute. He's going through a stage that everything is HIS! Oh and he hits you if you don't give it back. We're not working on keeping his tongue in his mouth. Everytime he gets mad at us or at his siblings it comes right out. He sticks that thing out as far as he can get it. Sometimes it's really hard not to laugh at him. Michela is doing great in school and loving it! We couldn't be happier with her teacher. The only bad thing is that everytime I ask her what she learned-it's usually something from the playground. She has mastered the monkey bars. I guess that's a kid thing. She's joined a bowling club and is loving it and her bowling partner, Nolan. As for Mr. Michael-we have been working hard at trying to sell our house still. We have decided to rent it out-and luckily we think we found a great family for the job. Keep your fingers crossed. As for me-gotta go in for foot surgery tomorrow. My one toe has been bothering me so much lately-when I went to the doc-I was told I have to have bunion surgery. I thought it was from playing so much softball, but apparently it's hereditary. So I should be limping around here for awhile-I am quite sure the kiddos will take advantage of it as much as possible. We will be starting potty training here soon-please pray for us as much as you can. I am not good with the whole potty training thing!

Michela's first day of kindergarten was on Wednesday. We took her to an open house on Tuesday night and she thought she ruled the place. Michela was taking US on a tour. She's been going to this school since she was born to visit Grammy Bruna. Grammy Bruna is a teacher's assistant at Woodland Elementary. The open house went well - we located her class, locker, and where she was assigned to sit. I signed up for some party volunteering and we're set to go! Then we went home and Mcihela was so excited she could not sleep. She woke us up about 3am to ask if it was time for school (I was just as excited as she was for her to start). That morning Michela got up from bed, put on her little first day of school dress and was set to go. Michela got together her Hannah Montana book bag, Hannah Montana supply bag, and Hannah Montana pencil pouch. She likes Hannah Montana *smile*. Pictures were taken, Grandma and Grandpa Carr and Grammy Bruna came to see her off to school. Michael went into work late and drove with us to walk her in for the first day. I was still more excited than she was (you can tell by the ton of pictures I took). Michela looked so grown up-then I HAD to leave. She hugged me so hard, you could tell she was nervous, then I started to tear up. I didn't want her to see me tearing up -so we left. Michela's no longer our baby girl-she's a big girl and it finally hit me. It really hit when I took her picture with a Becky, another teacher's assistant at Woodland. I have a picture of Becky and Michela when Michela was about a month old in the NICU. It's crazy how fast time goes. She had a wonderful day-got in trouble a few times for running in the hallway-but all in all the day went well. She loves school and has met so many new friends-she can't remember their names though. Michela told me she'll continue to go to school as long as she doesn't have to marry a boy right now. We agreed.

This is one of those days that I could not wait to journal and share my thoughts and reflect on the day. What a beautiful day it turned out to be. Today team "Chance for Chase" did the walk/run to promote the need for organ donation. I have to first start off that Thursday I was asked to talk at the walk. Yeah me, Miss Sappy. Lifebanc asked that we share our story to the walker prior to "walk off". Did I sleep last night-ofcourse not. I love to share Chase's story-just not in front of 500 people. My goal was to not cry-yeah right. The walk was at Blossom Music Center and Chance for Chase team was allowed to stand up with Michael and I while we talked. I got through the talk-yes, I ended up tearing up, but was able to make it through what I wanted to say. We then headed off for the mile and half walk. There were signs set up on the side of the road-facts about organ donation. Really made ya think while ya walked-yes, I can do two things at once. We met some amazing people. One gentleman came up to us while we were walking-he was only 4 weeks post heart transplant. Another family from youngstown came up to us to share their story. They lost their 19 year old and he was able to donate to 4 families. They said their only wish is that the recipient families would contact them to let them know how they were doing. They helped Michael and I come to terms about writing to our donor family. Goal next week is to send out the letter. We met another little boy that had the same story as Chase-he actually has the same transplant coordinator that we have in Cincinnati. After the walk-we walked through Legacy Garden. It was filled with donor and recipient posters-very beautifully set up. Very emotional too. The day was amazing, the company and friends we met were even better. I can not thank everyone that came out today to walk and run with us. Team "Chance for Chase" rocked. Oh and we got some great pictures that I will hopefully be able to add by the end of the week. I do want to add that my brother and his wife donated the t-shirts to our team. They own a shop in Kent called "Kent Outfitters". GREAT STORE! Thanks Robin and Shawn!

This weekend we went with Michael's parents to Marblehead. WHAT A WEEKEND! It started off that my father in law hurt his knee running out to the car (he left the sunroof open during a horrible storm). We won't go there... So he was in quite a bit of pain. THEN... We get to the house and we're not there 5 minutes and Chase decided to put a big stuffed cat into the toilet. He must of thought it was thirsty... We got the cat out-threw it outside and eventually was able to run it through the wash machine. THEN... We wanted to tire the kiddos out so we took them for a walk. There is a cemetary down the road so we walked through the grounds. We had already explained to Michela what a cemetary was so we didn't think there would be any problems. She comes running through the head stones yelling-MOMMY THEY'RE STILL ALIVE! I am dumbfouned by this time trying to get her to be quiet. Apparently, she believed that the headstones that had pictures on the front meant that they were still alive in the ground. We finally got her calmed down and we're walking out-trying to be discreet (yeah right). Chase decided to yell "die" at every headstone. We couldn't have walked out of there fast enough. We finally get back to the house and the kiddos have no plan of going to sleep. 6 of us slept in a king size bed for most of the night. The next night was better-except Chase had gotten up and was playing on the floor. When I looked down he had decided to take poop out of his diaper and paint with it on the floor. MORE CLEANING UP. Suffice to say-the weekend was not relaxing. We're back home and two cousins of Michael's from New York were in town and stayed with us. It was great meeting some family that I had never met before. So we're home-it's more relaxing (we put the kids to bed early last night).

It's Monday morning and just put two of the kiddos on the bus for Calico. Michela and Chase are eating cereal. We had a good weekend overall. Chase was a little under the weather. He was diagnosed last week with bad allergies to mold(found in dirt) and dogs. Yes, dogs! Most of you know that Michael's parents live in an apartment off the back of the house and they have two dachshunds. They have never been on our side of the house and Chase has never even touched a dog. I keep him completely away from animals due to his system being immunosuppressed. Docs said that the dogs dander is coming through our heating and cooling system. We have to have an air purifier put onto the house. The three hospitalizations he had this past year was in fact not pneumonia. His allergies have introduced him to asthma. Which in turn collapsed his lungs, which can look like pneumonia. So we have to give him steroid inhalers twice a day and albuterol treatments as needed. Oh did I mention he's also mildly allergic to 3 types of grass. We have this boy in a bubble as it is and it's going to even get worse. He had a mild fever over the weekend and his breathing got labored a little at night. We were giving him treatments every few hours. As for Mason, we took him for his follow up botox appt. She was very happy with his reaction to the botox. Last week in therapy he picked up a block with his left hand and pounded it on the tray. We've been working on this with him for months and he finally did it! It was a happy time for both us and the therapist. Slow progress, but so worth it. He's scheduled for more botox in September. They want to increase it more in his hands-his right hand is tighter than his left. As for Mr. Parker. What can I say about him-he has bumps and bruises all over. He's the clumsiest kid I have. He's absolutely terrified of the kids swimming pool and I have been trying to get him used to the water. He's not having it-he chokes me and scratches everytime I put him anywhere near the pool. As for Miss Michela, we're getting things ready for school and practicing her alphabet as much as we can. She's been home this whole summer and swimming almost everyday in the back. She rather be in the water than not. And for Mr. Michael. I am so proud of him-he has been riding his bike a lot more this summer and did a 25 mile bike ride with two of his friends yesterday at the Corn Festival. 25 miles has been his max so far-he's shooting for the 50 mile next year. As for me-it's been the busiest summer ever. With therapies and doc appts. I am exhausted by night time. A friend of mine called this past week and suggested I read the book "The Shack". So I have promised myself that I am going to take at least 1/2 hour a day and get back to reading. I used to work in a library and read all the time and I miss reading. I have 5 books in my room that have been sitting there for two years and need read. We'll see if I can get those read by the end of the year. One great thing that happened last week was that I received a phone call from Life Banc. It's an organization that promotes organ donation and awareness. They're having a annual event that honors and celebrates donors and recipients, their families and friends, and educates about the need for and life-saving benefits of donation and transplantation. It's on August 16th at Blossom Music Center. They found Chase's video on youtube and asked that we'd give permission for him to be on their website. Go to www.lifebanc.com. I am trying to get a team together to walk with us on that day. If you're interested send me an email at JodiDelF@yahoo.com. I would love for everyone and anyone to come and BRING A FRIEND! I want to get a team of 15 or more to walk. If you don't think you can walk it-still come out. It's going to be such a great day! It's at Blossom Music Center and registration is that morning. Individual registration is $20 and an optional T-shirt for an additional $5. Pre-registration by August 1 guarantees T-shirt. We hope to see you there! We will be there!

It's Friday night and Michael is on call tonight-he has yet to come home. The kiddos are in bed and Michela is in the playroom pretending to be Rachel Ray-cooking only she knows what. Tomorrow is the first anniversary of Chase's liver transplant. I am feeling so many emotions about it being his anniversary. I am feeling a sense of accomplishment, thankfulness and sadness. We have done everything in our power to keep Chase healthy this past year, the most critical time after a transplant. I am pretty proud of Michael and I. I am also so thankful for our medical treament teams both here in Akron and in Cincinnati. Then I feel a major pit in my stomach knowing that the donor family is also remembering their loss from a year ago. I can't imagine what they're going through right now. We can now try and make contact with the donor family. We've waited a year and I want to thank them personally. How do you do that? I have had my letter written to the donor family since this past winter. I thought a lot about them over the holidays and sat down and wrote them after the New Year. We hope they accept the letter from us. I would understand if they didn't. I want to try and go to church tomorrow to light a candle for them and say a prayer. I want to mostly go and pray to thank God for Chase and his health. I went over the journal entries from a year ago and could feel every emotion in every word we had written. What a trip this year has been. Happy Anniversary to Mr. Chase!

It's Tuesday morning and I am sitting here with Chase and Mason. I am drinking my coffee, Mason is trying his hardest to roll over and Chase is trying to get to my coffee. This past week was quite busy. Michael had the week off for vacation. On Monday we took Chase to see the lung specialist. They're checking over Chase's x-rays from his last 3 hospitalizations and ran some more blood tests for allergies. They believe that the transplant may have brought on some asthma and/or allergies. Right now we have to give him breathing treatments (steroids) twice a day until they can rule it out. We took him for more x-rays last week. They're also testing him to see if he may have allergies to animals, etc. Hopefully, we'll have the results this week. Then on Wednesday we left for Marblehead. A friend of ours has a house right across from Kelly's Island and my family has sorda started going up to Lake Erie on July 4th weekend. We had such a good time and the kiddos were great. We took a ferry over to Kelly's island one day to ride bikes. We stayed at the island winery, kids ate and played then we took off on our bike ride again. Soon after Michael's tire blew a hole. Again, all we could do was laugh. So we ended up walking our bikes and the kiddos back to the ferry. NOT FUN! But knowing Michael and I-we always have to have something happen that we can get stressed about-then laugh. Alright-I am off to make some breakfast. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend...

It's Monday afternoon and I just got back from getting my hair cut. It's now short-shortest I have ever had it in awhile. Going to be much easier to take care of with the kiddos. They're now into pulling my hair, biting me and ripping out my earrings. Gotta love them! This weekend was great. My parents, Michael's parents and the kiddos all went to Cinci this weekend for the transplant picnic at Coney Island. We had soo much fun! I saw a kiddo there that was as yellow as Chase was a year ago. He must be on the transplant list. My stomach just felt sick when I saw him. You forget sometimes how sick Chase was last year. The boys and Michela had so much fun. Michela rode every ride she could at Coney Island. Chase was still too short to get on the kiddie rides, Mason loved people watching and Mr. Parker screamed every chance he'd get. He was scared of all the rides and the water. I wasn't able to ride any rides this year. I think the kiddos are really messing up my back from me carrying them all the time. I wasn't about to get on a rollercoaster and make it worse. The hotel room was a nightmare. We had three cribs in one room and 4 kids running around chasing each other. NOT A GOOD THING! I am sure the people from the hotel were glad to see us go. Mason is doing really well from his botox treatment. They were pretty conservative with his dose and I feel he could probably use more next time. We'll have to wait and see how his 6 week check up goes and what the doc says. Chase meets with his lung doc tomorrow for the first time. They want to do some further testing as to why he keeps getting pneumonia. Michael just pulled in the drive way. It's almost 8:00 p.m. kiddos are bathed and in bed and it's Mommmy and Daddy's turn to eat dinner. Rocknees salad is our treat for tonight...

It's Wednesday afternoon and I am sitting here with the boys. Michela is sleeping, Parker and Chase are actually playing nicely and Mason is sitting in his tumbleform. I hope everyone had a nice Father's day. We had decided to take the kiddos camping. WHY?!? Yes, we've lost it! I do have to admit-I would do it again. Was it relaxing-heck no! Did the kiddos have fun-you bet. The storms didn't help, but seeing how much fun the kids had was worth it. Are we going to do it again this year-probably not. A lot has happened in the last couple weeks which has kept me from updating the site. Chase was admitted to Akron Children's with pneumonia (again). This was the scariest one so far. We were outside playing all day-came in for dinner and I gave the kiddos baths. We noticed Chase started breathing a little faster than usual and by when we woke him for his meds at 9:00 we had to call 911. It happened way too fast. He was in the hospital for a couple of days and has since then been doing really well. Docs seemed concerned as to why he keeps getting pneumonia, mostly in the left lung. We have an appt. with a lung specialist on July 1st here in Akron. Soon after that we got even worse news. I am not sure if you anyone remembers the two little boys I had asked my family and friends to pray for this past year-Baby Landan and Tony. I didn't know Tony, but followed his story due to him having a bone marrow transplant at Cincinnati. Both boys passed away last week. We have been praying non stop for these families. They need all the prayers and support they can get right now. It put such a different perspective on this weekend. I cherished every single thing my kiddos did and made us so much more appreciative for the blessings we have. As for Mr. Mason, he is getting his frist Botox treatment tomorrow morning. We have to be up at the hospital at 7:00 a.m. and he'll be getting the procedure done around 8:30 a.m. Please keep him in your prayers right now and pray the botox goes smoothly. Well, Chase and Parker are now fighting. Parker is sitting on Chase and Chase is screaming - that's my que to get off the computer now. I'll update after Mr. Mason's botox.

I feel horrible that I have not update the site in so long. It's been busier than usual around the homestead. It's been a great busy though! My parents were remarried on May 16, 2008. Our family is so extremely proud and excited about the re-union. What a year this has been. They were divorced for sometime now and had an intimate ceremony with immediate family. God has given our family so much this year and we are so thankful. I am so proud of my parents. They're hearts are so full and their faith is so strong. I truly look up to them and couldn't be prouder. My mom is also retiring this week. YAY MOM! She's been at the University for over 30 years! The day after the wedding ceremony we did the Pedal with Pete. We were able to talk with Pete and hopefully we'll be able to volunteer with them for next years Bike and Hike. As for Miss Michela she is done with pre-school and her graduation is on Friday. She's already been to her new school's orientation and has met some friends that will be in her class. This past weekend we celebrated the boys 2nd birthday. Their birthday isn't for another week-but with everyone being off on Memorial Day we decided to have it that day. We did it in Cars theme and the kiddos had a blast! Michael was on call this past weekend-so taking care of planning the party, yard work and watching the kiddos was a little overwhelming. I never realized how much I rely on him. The kiddos are everywhere and starting to fight amongst themselves a LOT more. As for Mr. Mason-he finally got his stander! It's so great seeing him stand up and able to socialize more with his siblings. He'll be starting his botox injections in June. As for Mr. Chase, he's eating tons, talking even more and has an attitude that doesn't stop. He was sick for a couple days with a virus. I changed my clothes 4 times in one day. He'd puke every chance he'd get. This weekend we're doing the American Cancer walk with Michael's mom. We're pretty excited about this and that we're able to share it with her. It's important to her and she'll be doing a cancer survivor lap around the track. I am sure it's an emotional time for everyone involved. So that's what has been going on and I am sure I have missed a lot. Right now-I want to enjoy a nice somewhat quiet summer with the kiddos.

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there. I hope all you dads out there are spoiling your mom and your wife! I remember when Michael and I were trying to have a child that Mother's Day was one of the hardest days of the year. Docs said with my condition that it would be probable that I'd never be able to have children. We wanted kiddos so badly and now look at us! We have 4 wonderful kids and a house full of noise, screaming, laughing, fighting, tons of diapers and a lot of love. For Mother's Day the kiddos got me a beautiful necklace with their birthstones. Michael got me a cooking pan that I wanted. Chase wrote me a heartfelt card with a Willow "Hope" figurine. Of course, I started to cry when I read all the nice things he wrote in the card (daddy helped him out a bit). My favorite part of Mother's Day is when I get to open the things the kids made at school. I love that part! Michael has been sick since Friday so we're pretty much taking it easy today. Michela and I went to church and came home to bagels that my father in law bought for us. We're now sitting here watching Pirates of the Caribbean and the boys are napping. We were all supposed to go to the Aeros baseball game today, but it's raining and really cold outside. Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better Mother's Day. This year has brought us so much already. I again, feel a little selfish when I think about what Michael and I have. I think about Chase's donor family so often still. I am sure today is very hard on their family. I am also sure it's going to be hard this summer. We will be celebrating Chase's year anniversary for the liver transplant in July and they'll be remembering probably the worst time of their life. I already have my letter written and ready to send to the family. We wrote it a couple months back in preparation for the year anniversary. By UNOS policy we're not allowed to contact the donor family for one year post-transplant. I plan on sending it a month early and hopefully it will get their by the year date. Hopefully, our letter will bring some sort of peace to their family. Again-HAPPY MOTHER's DAY TO EVERYONE!

I am so lucky to have such great friends in my life. Some of which I have never met-only talked to on the phone. I was having a horrible day yesterday and I am so much more at peace today. Thank you for the people that posted here and wrote to me. I really needed that yesterday and today for that matter. I prayed all day yesterday for some sort of understanding and peace. Then yesterday I went up to Calico to pick Mason up for his physical therapy appt. The RN up there and I were talking and she said "Can you believe everything you guys have been through this past year?" I quickly said no-it's sorda a dream, blur actually. Then on the way to his appt. I realized everything not only have Michael and I have been through-but my family, my kiddos. We truly are a strong family and I need to stop with the pity party now. So my pity party is officially over and it's on to a new day. Mason was pretty ticked at me last night for feeling sorry for him and decided to pee on me TWICE. He's NEVER peed on me before! I just laughed and it somehow made me feel so much better. I have met a friend through this parentshack that also has a kiddo with the same type of CP that Mason has. She called today and gave me some great ideas to use with Mason when we're out with him. We are going to take these challenges as just that-challenges to overcome. When something doesn't work for him-we'll find a better way to make it work. One great idea she had was using a single stroller to take Mason into people's home and into restaurants. I liked that idea, because he's not only stable-but I am able to feed him in the stroller. Michael and I plan to meet this couple next week for the first time. They're giving Mason some therapy equipment that her son had used. Yes, it's horrible I know. We've talked for two years on the phone-but never met in person. I am also looking forward to May 17th. There is a ride-a-thon for cerebral palsy awareness that we're going to do that day. It's called Pedal with Pete. Michael and some of our friends are riding the 17 miles and some of us are going to walk the kiddos the two miles. We already have the choo choo wagon set up for Mason to be able to sit comfortably. Some of his therapists gave us some great ideas to adapt the wagon for Mason. He's going to look like a little stud muffin. This is pedal with petes website http://www.pedalwithpete.com/. If anyone would like to join us come on out! As for the other kiddos they're all doing really well. Michela's last day of pre-school is tomorrow. She's been at that school since she was one! I have decided to keep her home over the summer to save up for her kindergarten tuition. Yes, Stow charges for full day! It will be nice to have her home over the summer to spend some quality time with her before she becomes a big ole kindergartener. Chase is doing well-ornery as ever. His belly is growing out, but he's still as short as can be. Parker is huge-tall and has lost that baby face. He talks non stop and his favorite words are "no, lookie, mine and what". Also, a few of you have written me to ask how my niece Brenna is doing. Well, she is also a Del Ferraro kiddo! She's doing great and sooo beautiful. She has a ton of hair that has a mind of it's own. I'd better go check on Parker-hopefully he's still in the house somewhere.

It's Tuesday morning and I am sitting here with Chase as he plays. The last couple days have been a little emotionally hard for me. I think it's just a Mommy pity party of my behalf. Don't get me wrong, it has been wonderful being outside and watching the kiddos play together. But it's been equally hard watching Mason not able to play. I know what people are thinking right now, that I should be counting my blessings and I do know that, but there is the mom in me that saddens everytime I see him not able to do things the other boys can. People from the multiple groups told me that it will be a blessing and a curse that he is a triplet with a disability and now I see why. It's a blessing that he tries to do what his brothers do and he does try so hard. But then it saddens me when he isn't able. There is a support group at Akron Childrens for families with kiddos with CP. I think I am at my point that I have to start going. Michael and I are beginning to realize more the hills we're going to have to overcome with Mason's disability. We had the kiddos out on Saturday and wanted to go shopping at Target for some things (a spur of the moment thing). Yes, we very rarely do this all 6 of us together. When we got into the store, we realized there wasn't anywhere for Mason to sit. He didn't have his stroller, he can't sit in the basket and he can't sit in the toddler seats that are made for bigger kids. We had to carry him throughout the store, which made it very hard. He's getting bigger and harder to carry. We then decided to go out to eat. Another mistake. Mason can't sit in the seats and can't sit up in a booth, so I held him the whole time. Which was hard holding Mason and feeding 2 other starving toddlers and a cranky 5 year old. Before when we did spur of the moment things Mason was able to sit in his car seat, but he's too big for this now. A friend of mine with a very sick son wrote me yesterday and said that she already mourns her son and he's still here. I so understand what she's talking about. It's not that I mourn Mason, I mourn the things he can't do. We went to a birthday party on Sunday and I wanted to cry the whole time I was there. All the cousins were playing catch and hitting the pinata and I so wanted Mason to be able to do these things. That little boy is my heart and he's so happy. Like I said, this is just a pity party for Mom today. I think I need to pray today and ask for some additional strength right now. After my prayer and me reviewing all my blessings I will feel that what I have written isn't so bad. I need to journal my feelings to make me work through them sometimes.

Margie, I also love this song. The song is called "He is My Son" by Mark Schultz. I tear up every single time I hear that song. Things are going well in the Del Ferraro household. I had a candle party last week to help supply some decor for the new abode. Actually, I mostly did it to have some adult conversation! It was nice to see everyone and visit. The boys are home sick today from school. Parker and Mason both have some sort of nasty cold and Michela has lost her voice. How lucky are we right? Actually, not really so lucky. She has decided her voice sounds pretty cool and is talking MORE! She's loving the sound of her voice. She woke up this morning and said "I can't wait for my friends to hear my voice". Some funny things that happened over the past week. It was one of our first nice days and I had the windows open. The kiddos were playing in the playroom while I was cooking. Well, it suddenly got pretty quiet, which is a bad sign. I went in to the room and couldn't find Parker. I suddenly see his little head running back and forth in the front yard giggling! He had pushed out the screen and climbed out the window! When I went outside to get him he continued to run away from me and when I looked over Chase was on his way out the window. The windows will now stay shut in the playroom. Another day, Grandpa Terry brought some yummy donuts to the kiddos when they were home from school. Parker had never had a donut and was in his glory. We saved one for Michael and I put it in the middle of the table while I walked my Dad to the door. When I got back to the kitchen the donut was gone. I got pretty upset with Michela thinking she stole the donut, then I couldnt' find Parker (again). The little thief was hiding beside the couch stuffing this huge cream stick in his face. Cream EVERYWHERE! When I went to grab him he stuffed the rest in his mouth. He had a sugar rush for days. So it has been another eventful week. The kiddos are enjoying the outside and we're enjoying every minute of playing with them.

Right now I have some time to update parentshack. I have locked my keys and my cell phone in my car and can't go anywhere. I am actually waiting for Michael to come and unlock the car to take Michela for a hair cut. Yes, ANOTHER, hair cut. My darling daughter decided to cut her hair yesterday. I came home from shopping, walked into the bathroom and found a bunch of blond curls on the floor. I figured she cut her barbie's hair. I then saw long locks of her hair on the floor. I can't remember what happened after that. All I remember is that I yelled "Michela I am going to kill you". Well, she took it literally and began screaming and crying "Mommy, please don't kill me!" All I know is Michael was holding me back from yelling too much at my daughter! She cut one side of her hair off and chunks of her hair throughout the other side and back. I think I cried and for about two hours. I put a screaming Michela in the car to go look for a hair salon. I drove to my sis's house and she also helped me find a salon, but nothing was open on a Sunday afternoon. I have NEVER been that upset with her. She knew it too. She was yelling at Michael saying "Please don't make me go with my Mommy". Then when we got in the car, while I continued to cry, she then began saying "Mommy, I will take care of you." Which made me feel worse. I finally calmed down and explained to her that we have to cut the rest of her hair off to match the one side. She doesn't seem to understand the whole concept yet. We'll see when she gets the rest cut off! Later that night, exhausted from yelling and crying. She got up around 9:00 p.m. with food poisoning. She had hidden some old french toast sticks in the car and decided to eat them. Michael and I had throw up duty from about 9 until midnight. She then was so belly sick that she cried the rest of the night. Now this morning, I went to call her off from pre-school and realized my phone and keys were locked inside. I am sitting her waiting for Michael to come unlock me. Hopefully, this day goes better. I know someday I will laugh at this, but it's not any day soon. Oh and I did explain to her that I had no intentions of killing her.

It's Wednesday morning and the boys are still in bed. Michela is eating her cereal and it's pretty quiet right now. This past week and weekend were very busy. We started the week out by finding out a friend of ours mother had died. Michela, Michael and I went to the calling hours. We soon realized how hard it was to explain to Michela death and why what exactly is a funeral home. She handled it well and the things that she asked stumped Michael and I. We were very proud of her and she knew to include our friends in our nightly prayers. Proud moment for a parent. THEN...Miss Michela had her first baseball game on Saturday. She's the only girl on a coach pitch team here in Stow. It was freezing outside and she made it known how cold she was. At one point, Michela was standing in the middle of the field screaming she was cold and never wanted to play again. The very last inning she decided to leave her team and run off the field saying it was too cold for her to play. Michael and I were furious with her by this time. At the end of the game she would not shake the other teams hand in line with her team. Michael grabbed a screaming and kicking Michela and held her in line. He had to force her to shake hands with the other team. When we got home Michela learned her first lesson in sportsmanship. We shall see this week! On Thursday, Mason had his first appointment with his new doc-Dr. Mosher(physiatrist-rehabilitation physician). I was pretty impressed and the appt. went really well. She stated he had good range of motion in his legs, but recommended a new treatment for his arms and hands. They continue to be spastic and he has trouble reaching and grabbing things due to the spasticity. We have agreed to start botox treatment with our little man. After a lot of research, we feel this is a good decision and we're praying for good results. He will get botox every three months in his hands and bicepts. Along with the botox, Mason will have to increase his therapy. On Sunday we left for Cincinnati for Chase's check up. His last labs came back questionable so we were pretty nervous about these labs. Well-Mr. Chase had a great check up. Our little Buddah is coming in at 22 lbs and his labs are normal. YAY! We don't have to go back for another check up until July, which will be his annual check up. Can't believe it's almost been a year. Today we have an occupational therapist and phsyical therapist coming out to check on Chase's development. And at this moment, while I am typing-I hear Chase throwing things out of his crib and Parker laughing. I think they're awake now...

Michael and I just met for lunch and talked a whole conversation without interuptions. We don't get to do that much with the kiddos around! We have decided to not have the annual Love Life Party this year (was scheduled for August 2). Honestly, we're just tired. We still seem like we're on the go all the time and want to slow down this summer. We need to concentrate on selling our house and get that sold as soon as possible. We also want to spend some quality time with the kiddos before Michela goes to kindergarten. It's not to say we won't have it next year-but this summer we want a little break. We weren't able to enjoy the summer days last year and this year we're going to take advantage of being outside. Chase is getting house-a-tosis! I am still doing everything possible to promote organ donation and that will continue to be a passion of ours. We actually had a friend write to us yesterday stating he has now decided to go to the BMV to register as a donor. I sat there with tears in my eyes-being an organ donor really gets me emotional. His letter really touched Michael and me. I hope us not having the picnic has not put anyone out in any way.

Hope everyone had a great holiday. Ours was fun and we had a great time with family. Morning started off with Michela waking up early to find her basket and the boys slept in! We couldn't believe it! Michela, Parker and I went to church and Michael stayed home with Chase and Mason. We still have Chase confined for about one more month due to RSV and everything else going around. After church my side of the family went to brunch. After brunch, I had Michael's side over for dinner. The kids loved spending all day with family and eating all their treats. We did take the kiddos to see the Easter bunny on Saturday. We took Chase with us too-he had to wear his mask in the mall. He's pretty good about keeping it on - until he saw his cousin and sister eating popcorn. He tried to eat the popcorn through his mask - didn't work out so well. Ofcourse, I thought it was funny and got yelled at by my sister for being so mean. I ended up feeding him popcorn under his mask so he could eat too. Parker and Mason both cried when the saw the bunny-Mason actually screamed and then screamed some more. I love this age with the boys-they have such great and different personalities and keep us on our feet. Well, I should say PARKER keeps us on our feet. His new thing right now is telling everyone NO and hitting. I am going to get Chase and Parker some boxing gloves as much as they hit each other. I've realized I have to pick my battles or I'd be yelling at them every minute of the day.

It's Tuesday afternoon and it's been a pretty busy day. Mason, Chase and I went over to my grandparents for a visit. Grandparents always make the best coffee! We had a great visit, then off to physical therapy for Mason. He still goes to OT on Mondays and PT on Tuesdays. Last week Michael and I did nothing but tummy time with him to help him build up some strength. Therapists both said they saw some positive differences in him - so it's off for more belly time for Mason. He hated it, but towards the end of the week he seemed to be tolerating it a lot better. So it was a good therapy session, which always makes my day. His PT suggested I look into something called hip helpers www.hiphelpers.com. His legs spread apart a lot and he's hypotonic-she thinks these shorts will help him. They're sorda like bike shorts. I am going to get him a pair to see if it will help with his strength. As for the other kiddos-they're doing well. Michela is sitting next to me watching "Little Bill" and the boys are playing. I've been dealing with a nasty sinus infection-that's what I get for going on a cruise! Michael is dealing with a cranky wife *smile*.

It's Tuesday morning and the kiddos will be waking up soon. I thought I would take the time to update the site. Michael and I got back on Saturday from a wonderful vacation on the Carnival Freedom. We spent most of our time doing nothing! The first night on the ship I felt like taking a plane back home-I missed the kiddos so much. That was my first break down. We had a wonderful time visiting Cozumel, Cayman Island and Ochos Rios. We spent one day in Cozumel on 4 wheelers in the jungle. That was our favorite part of the cruise-along with the chocolate desserts! We were in heaven. Our last day was absolutely horrible. We knew something had to happen-that is just our luck! The vacation went too smoothly... We were about to get off the cruise ship-along with 3,000 other people when the computer system went down with Customs. We weren't allowed to disembark until they fixed the system-then Customs reported they couldn't fix the sytem-they would have to search more people to let us through. It was a zoo getting off the ship. Then we got to the airport and found that back home was in the middle of a huge blizzard. After standing in line for an hour we got to the desk and they told us our flight had been cancelled. Then they proceeded to tell us we couldn't get home until Wednesday. Well that was not going to work for me-I was already missing the kiddos. We got our money back (as I was having a temper tantrum with Air Tran-second break down). Michael's dad was back home booking us a flight into Pittsburgh. About 16 hours later we arrived in Pittsburgh - exhausted! We checked with 5 rental car agencies and all were booked. Last one we were able to rent a car to drive 2 hours home through the blizzard. Well they decided to increase their prices to a ridiculous amount - which is so unfair-but we didn't have a choice by then. One guy had to pay $400.00 just to get to Columbus. He wasn't too happy either. We finally pulled in the driveway around 11:30 p.m. Only us-we had to just laugh. That had to finish off our wonderful trip! The prize was waking the kiddos up to see them-that was the best and all worth it. On Monday we got more running around done-Michael took that day off too. Michela wanted me to measure her hair to see if it was long enough to get cut for Locks of Love-well she finally hit the mark. We made a special day of it and she had 11 inches cut off her hair. She was sooo excited and it was one of the best moments ever. Our little girl now has short hair and her hair is being sent to Locks of Love. I'll try and post some pics. I have to thank you so much to my mom and Michael's parents 10 times over for watching the kiddos while we were gone. My mom took a week vacation so we could vacation. We appreciated the wonderful care they gave the kiddos. It made our vacation so much better knowing the rug rats were with their grandparents. Thanks guys!

It's Monday night and the kiddos went to bed. Michael just ran to get us some salads for dinner. I am taking a break from looking/researching car seats for Mason. Due to his low tone and poor head control I have no clue what car seat to buy him and he needs a new seat. I have been trying to find one that is a reasonable price-I can't believe how expensive adaptive equipment is for kiddos with disabilities. We were recently looking for something to put in our bathtub to help us bathe him-the average price for that was $300. I am going to try and work with the insurance company to see if they can help with some of the cost. I found one car seat that would be great for Mason and the cost was $850 on sale. I am going to try and talk to some other CP moms and see if they have any advice on good and safe car seats. Now that Mason is getting bigger it's harder to do some the simple every day things. I tell ya though-he makes it so worthwhile with that smile of his. Michal and I met with, Dr. McBride, his neurologist on Friday. Appt. went well and we're going to try some new things with his Baclofen meds. We're going to try and reduce his dose to see if he will gain some tone/strength. She then showed us the results of his CT scan, Michela called it a "TV" scan. The results are pretty much what we had expected-he does show signs of PVL. PVL, Periventricular leukomalacia, is damage and softening of the white matter and is the leading cause of Cerebral Palsy in kiddos. This was no surprise to us... We had the CT scan done due to conflicting diagnosis in his medical records. She believes that the damage will not affect his thinking, but more so with his motor skills. We asked if she thought he would ever talk and she explained that talking was a motor skill and that is something that Mason would really have to work at during his therapies. Dr. McBride then referred us to a physiatrist. A physiatrist a doctor who is certified as a specialist in rehabilitation medicine. We're really looking forward to that appt. in April. As for Mr. Chase. He gave us a little scare this weekend. On Friday we took him up for his labs to Akron Children's and they came back pretty funky. His levels were really high and we couldn't figure out why. Cinci transplant then asked if he had any diarrhea lately. I explained to them about his getting over the flu and they told me that probably made his levels too high. We had to re-adjust his meds and keep him away from ANY GERMS! He was even more immunosuppressed due to his prograf level being so high. Cinci called tonight and said the labs Chase had done this morning had improved and they were coming down. As for Miss Michela, she's doing well. She's now into clothes, more than I would like her to be. On Saturday we sat in her room and argued for 15 minutes on what she was going to wear and how I would do her hair. SHE'S ONLY 5! Mr. Parker-what can I say about him. His thing now is to get on top of the kitchen table and dance. As I yell at him-he dances more! Only 11 more days until the "Mommy and Daddy Vacation"!

OH MY GOSH-THESE KIDDOS ARE CRAZY! My morning has started off like this: Mason is screaming because his hand is caught in the bed. This is how I know he is awake. I get him up and bring him downstairs to feed/change him. First major poopy diaper. Then the other kiddos hear the microwave and begin to scream. They know it's breakfast time and they want to come down NOW. I bring Parker and Chase down. As I am getting their milk together - they are both pulling at my leg wanting their milk screaming/crying BA BA (bottle). Which isn't even a bottle-it's a sippy cup. So I get them fed-then Michela wants her cereal right now-only coco wheats-and they have to be lumpy like Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Terry make. Which already ticks me off-she has to be picky about CEREAL!She gets mad having to wait for her brothers to eat first. They're all fed and now it's medication time. That's a whole process in itself-they're all getting over the flu and ear infections. As I am giving medications-Parker is stacking things up near the fireplace gate to jump over the gate to the fireplace. I finally get him contained in the kitchen and I look over-he's thrown Michela's plastic watch at the fireplace (watch is now melted all over the glass door on the fireplace). As I am cleaing that up-I look over and he's moved chairs to get up on the kitchen table. He's walking back and forth on the table laughing at me. By this time I have had it with him-he's in time out in the highchair. He's screaming and hitting the chair (a little upset with me). During this time Michela is yelling that there is poop all over one of the toys in the playroom and she said it was Chase. I change Chase's diaper and yes there's poop-but that's not what is all over the toy. I look over, as I am changing yet another poopy diaper and there's puke all over my couch. One of the kiddos puked on the couch and somehow carried it to the playroom to one of the toys. I get done changing Chase and find Mason has now pooped. I change him and as I am changing him-Chase gets stuck in the legs of the kitchen chair and is screaming. By this time it's only 10:00 am. The kids are in their cribs playing until I have regained my composure and cleaned up all my mess! Who is the crazy person that said having triplets gets easier after the first year!

I figured it was about time to get on here and update the site. I have been horrible at doing this lately! I am still unpacking some boxes from our move and trying to get somewhat organized. The boys and Michela have been doing really well. Mason's eye is still pretty red and a little swollen still. He hasn't "crossed" his eyes once since his surgery. He's back in Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy twice a week. I now had to buy a double stroller because I have to take just two of the kiddos with me. I think I have 8 strollers! It's crazy! Parker is still my "Dennis the Menace". He doesn't listen what-so-ever. You tell him no and he laughs at you. It's that grin that will get you everytime. Chase is eating like a pig-we have to stop him sometimes from eating too much. He's taking about 4 steps now and decides he's done. I know he can walk-he just chooses not to. He's catching up pretty fast though with Parker. As for Mr. Mason, his reflux has improved greatly. He's not turning his head as much to right and he's using his legs a little more. We're still trying to get him to grab or reach for things and improve his head control. We have a follow up with his neurologist next week. He wears braces on his hands at night and during the day. They're using a stander for him at school to help him socialize with his other classmates. He and Parker LOVE Calico! As for Miss Michela: she's been grounded this week for hitting a little boy at school and not listening to her teachers. We made her sit down and write a sorry letter to the kiddo she hit. It took her quite awhile, but she was then excited to give it to him. She got her kindergarten shots last week. THAT WAS A TRIP! It took two of us to hold her down! She went absolutely crazy in the office-kicking me and hitting the nurse. Girl with an attitude (poor nurse). We signed her up for kindergarten at Woodland here in Stow. Michael's mom works there and it's a great school with a great staff that has known Michela since she was born. As for Michael and I, we're doing pretty good. Michael's been working out quite a bit to do some bike races this summer. He found one last night that takes place in May that he wants to ride. He was so excited because the bike fundraiser is for Cerebral Palsy Awareness! How great is that!?! We've been getting ready for a vacation that we're taking in March-just us no kiddos. We sooo need a vacation! We booked this vacation over a year ago-way before Chase's transplant. It was sorda on the back burner with everything that has happened this year, but now we can't believe it's coming up. My mom is staying at the house here to take care of the kiddos and Michael's parents will be here too to help out. I am soooo nervous leaving them and have already tried to get everything as organized as possible to make it easier for them. I know my mom is going to want to go running out of our house by the time we get back. I hope she knows what she's in for...

It's Monday morning, Mason and Parker just left for school on the bus. Michela has a bad cough and a temperature so she's stuck at home with me today. She's not too happy about that! Chase is doing a lot better since his admission. He was actually discharged the next night after being admitted. The medications and treatments really worked fast this time. He's still doing some treatments but as needed. Mason went for follow up for his eye and doc said it looked good and we don't have to follow up for another 6 weeks. He's still pretty swollen and red. The whites of his eyes are blistered, but this was expected. Michael and I have been talking a lot lately about how thankful we are to Chase's donor family and how thankful we are period! We have decided to do an annual summer picnic. We are going to call it a "Love Life" picnic. Anyone and everyone will be invited. We're going to have it at a shelter in case it rains. The date will be August 2, 2008, Saturday. This will be the year anniversay of Chase's transplant - yeah! His transplant was July 26th, but the whole month of July is taken up already! Anyone and everyone is invited and it's strictly to honor Organ Donors and celebrate Chase's first year post transplant. This day will be for everyone to relax and have fun.

WHAT A DAY! I was scared that I wouldn't wake up in time to take Mason in for his surgery. He had to be there at 5:30 a.m. I woke up at 3:00 a.m and couldn't fall back to sleep. Surgery went well and we were home by 10:30 a.m. Mason looks as if someone has punched him in the eye. He's been in some pain and we're trying to control it with Tylenol. My dad stayed with the rest of the kiddos - ALL DAY. When I got home at 10:30 a.m. I noticed Chase was breathing really fast and labored. Gave him a breathing treatment and it helped a little. To be safe I took him straight in to see the doc. Doc sent us over for a chest x-ray and by 2:30 p.m. he was admitted to Akron Childrens Hospital with Pneumonia. I am at home tonight with Mason and Michael is staying up at the hospital tonight with Chase. Chase isn't allowed to eat or drink because his heart rate is so high. It's supposed to be 40 BPM and his are around 70-80. He's getting IV antibiotics and breathing treatments every 2 hours. We're hoping this will help-if not he has to be admitted to the ICU for a differnty type of treatmetn. I wish I knew how he got so sick. He's been quarantined to this house. We took him out ONE time this weekend. He will NOT be leaving this house what so ever until spring. I am totally shocked at how sick he gets so fast. I'll try and update this tomorrow night when I get home. I am going to stay at the hospital during the day and Michael at night. Hopefully, the antibiotics will work fast and he's home soon.

Weekend was really nice. On Saturday we celebrated my two niece's birthdays! Happy birthday (yesterday) to April. On Sunday was my Uncle Pat's B-day and my cousin, Danielle's 12th birthday. January is a major birthday month. On Sunday we took Michela to see High School Musical on Ice. My parents watched the boys and we went with Michael's parents to the show in Cleveland. It was a gift from them for Michela. She absolutely loved the show. Yesterday, we took Mason for his follow up hearing test. It was a sedated test where they use vibrations to see if he can hear. Mason has some hearing loss (low tones). He can't hear two of the tones in the left ear and one of the tones in his right ear. They think it may be from the some fluid and asked that we follow up with an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist. Audiologist felt that once the fluid was gone he'd have normal hearing. We were pretty happy with the results. Tomorrow he's having his first eye surgery with Dr. Locastro. I have to take him up to the hospital at 5:30 a.m. Dad is coming over to stay with the boys so I won't have to take them up to the hospital with me. I don't know what I would do without my dad lately-helping out with medical appts. It's hard when I have to take all the kiddos with me. Michael and I are both nervous for Mason, but excited for him to finally have this done. Poor thing is gonna have a rough week. We are anxious to see the outcome of the eye surgery. We won't know what to do when he's looking at us with both eyes! I really think he's going to excel even more.

We had another eventful, fun weekend. On Friday we had Michael's birthday party. We celebrated the year he was born and had a 70s blowout theme. There were some great costumes! My sister took some great pictures and I took some video. I'll try and get something together and post it this week. On Saturday we went out to dinner for my birthday ( which was also on Friday). We went to the Saffron Patch, an Indian Restaurant down in the valley. The food was wonderful! Michael's parents and my parents ate Indian food for the first time. I think they liked it-but had to get used to the different spices at first. On Sunday I was supposed to leave for Cinci for Chase's follow up appt., but the weather wasn't the best so I left early Monday morning. The weather was still horrible, but we got there 4 1/2 hours later. Chase doesn't need to come back for two months, they decreased his medications and is now only on 3 meds. His weight is 17lbs 10 ounces. They're very pleased with his progess. We are so blessed to have such a great medical team working with Chase. Today I am starting to look for a part time job in the evenings. Michael has been working his behind off the past couple years so that I was able to stay home with the kiddos. Now that the transplant is over, I want to find an evening job to help out. Well, I am watching Chase right now and he's standing on his little tykes table waving. I think it's time to get him off before he jumps. OH- I can't forget to wish my Godmother, Aunt Colleen,SUPER HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOO! We have the same birthday, but her birthday was a little more special this year-we won't say how old you are, but it was a SPECIAL ONE! LOVE YA!

It's Monday, New Years Eve. I am sitting here with Chase, Mason and Michela. Holding Mason, Michela is playing with her moon sand and Chase is watching-wanting to eat the moon sand. Parker is in bed with RSV. He's been coughing quite a bit the last couple days and not eating. I thought he either had a bad cold or ear infection. Took him to the doc and he has RSV. We have to give him breathing treatments every 4 hours. I have no clue how he contracted this-we've been so careful the past few months with not going many places and keeping anyone that is sick away from him. Michael and his mom have been sick and I think he may have picked it up from either of them. He's pitiful-only sleeping and not eating. I feel terrible for Mr. Parker. He is now quarantined in Michela's room away from the other kiddos. Michela will sleep with us and we moved Parker's crib into her room away from Chase. Michela's birthday parties went well on Friday. She had two Strawberry Shortcake birthdays. One with her friends and cousins and the other with family. It's so hard to believe she's 5 now. We're sitting at home tonight enjoying a quiet, uneventful night with the kids. Michela already has a bunch of games picked out to play. I am hoping everyone has a wonderful New Years Day. We're looking forward to 2008 and glad 2007 has passed with many blessings! Oh and Brena, new addition to the Del Ferraro family, has come home from the hospital! She's home with her Mommy and Daddy! What a great way to end the year...

It's Thursday and I have just put the kiddos down for a nap. Michela went down early for my sanity. You'd think she was a teenager already with the attitude and not listening. And oh-the dirty looks I get. It takes me over an hour just to try and get her to clean up her room. Her BIG birthday is tomorrow! She turns 5! I think she's on a Christmas/Birthday high! Christmas was really nice this year. We celebrated my side at a Tudor house near Portage Lakes a few days before Christmas. Our family has gotten too big to hold it at someones house this year. We had our gift exchange and the kiddos had a blast opening all their gifts. On Christmas Eve we celebrated here at the house. Michael's parents did all the cooking. Fish and pasta-can't be anymore Italian. Michael's dad was kind enough to cook the fish outside for me. I can't stand the smell of day old fish in the house. Then on Christmas we opened gifts in the morning. After gifts we had egg nog and toasted a Happy Birthday to Jesus. Ofcourse, we all joined in singing Happy Birthday to Jesus with the toast. After we celebrated here at the house with my parents and Michael's parents. My dad brought over steaks and we had an nontraditional, wonderful steak dinner. The kids played with their toys all day and watched the Christmas story (3 times). We missed my sister in law and her husband this year. They stayed at the hospital with Brenna. Brenna is doing well and we're hoping she'll be discharged soon. It's been one crazy year and I am looking forward to a very calm, uneventful year next year. We're praying for a year of good health for everyone. I am praying for the donor family over the holidays too. I can't imagine what it was like on their Christmas morning. They gave our Chase the best Christmas present we could have ever prayed for. I hope knowing they donated their child's organs gives them some sort of peace over the holidays. I am counting down the days until I can make contact with them and thank them in person. How do you thank someone for something so special. I hope they will read our journey over the past year and know they're child was our child's angel. I hope they know that their gift will never be taken for granted.

This is one journal entry I wish I never had to make. Michael's sister delivered a baby girl. Our beautiful niece, Brenna Noelle, was born this past Tuesday morning weighing in at 6 lbs 1 ounces. She is gorgeous with a full head of black hair. On Tuesday night Brenna began having seizures and they progressively increased. Over the week, a full battery of CAT scans and MRIs were done and the diagnosis wasn't what we were praying for. Brenna Noelle was diagnosed as having two strokes along with the seizures. She has some brain damage associated with the strokes. We're not quite sure what the future holds for her, but we do know she is a Del Ferraro. We all know how the Del Ferraro kiddos are strong, little fighters that beat the odds. The week has been a long and difficult one for the Hier and Del Ferraro family. A lot of questions that will never be answered. I have said this multiple times before that when I meet the big guy in Heaven one day-he has a lot of explaining. I wish I understood why things happen the way they do. We're praying so much for my new niece and praying for strength for the Hier and Del Ferraro family. I have asked people to pray for my kiddos continually and now I am asking for prayers for Brenna.

What a weekend! We just had our first huge snow and it's gorgeous outside! Michael is in heaven with all this snow. He went snow boarding for the first time last night. On Saturday night we had to take Chase to the emergency room again. It's sad when they get to know you by first name at the er. We believe Chase's broviac line clotted on Saturday. We weren't able to purge the line or pull out any blood. When Michael tried to purge the line he put a hole in the broviac. He felt terrible all weekend. We took Chase to the ER to either have it repaired or something done to prevent infection. Because it was clotted they didn't believe Chase was in immediate danger. We called Cinci transplant team and it was agreed the line would be taken out this week instead of being repaired. Luckily we don't have to go to Cinci for this and the docs here in Akron can do the operation to remove the broviac. As for Mr. Mason, his eye surgery has been scheduled for January. They will be doing maximum 3 surgeries to help straighten his eye out. His left eye continues to go inward-so he looks cross eyed most of the time. What the doc will do is go in and shorten two of the muscles to help straighten the eye. They do this little by little each surgery to prevent over shortening. The eye in this case, would look the opposite way. I can not wait until he has this surgery. Hopefully it will give Mason better focusing abilities and will help with his torticollis. Now for the good news-hopefully I will get to meet my new niece Brenna today! My sis in law is in the hospital right now being induced. What a Christmas present for the Del Ferraro and Hier family!

It's Wednesday night and I am sitting here with Michael watching "Don't forget the lyrics". I LOVE THIS SHOW! Michela is sitting with her Grammy and Papa watching Polar Express and the boys are sleeping. We have a fire going in the fireplace and I thought I'd get on and journal. This weekend was great. We celebrated our immediate Carr family's Christmas. Michael and I hosted it this year and the day was so much fun. We ate and ate , then played pictionary, then ate some more. The kids loved opening their gifts and Michela has been playing with her new Barbie ever since. Tonight we decorated Gingerbread houses with my sister and niece. Michela and Mackie would put one piece of candy on the house and one in their mouth. They'd eat the house if we'd let them! Mason, Chase and Parker are all doing well. Chase has had a cold and it's making me nervous. He sneezes and it freaks me out. He has a runny nose and I'm taking his temperature at least twice a day. I think I'll always be over protective with him when it comes to colds and illnesses. As for Mr. Parker-what can I say about that monster. He's getting so big and talking more and more. Mason is doing well in therapy. He has such a long road ahead of him and I pray for him every single day. I am keeping positive and pray that one day I'll get to hear him say Mommy or give me a hug. His smiles melt me right now and I thank God for those. Ok-my show just came back on. Michael and I hold our own singing contests here at home-ofcourse I always win *smile*.

What a weekend! Michael was still pretty sick and started to feel a little better yesterday morning. Yesterday was his 30th birthday!!! Happy Birthday Sweetie! Did not end up the way we had hoped, but that's our life in a nut shell. I could tell he was a little down about having to cancel his party. Thank you to everyone that called him yesterday to wish him a good birthday. I could tell that every phone call really cheered him up a little. We were able to go out to dinner to celebrate his big 30 and had a really nice time. Things are slowing down a bit on my side-I was able to get the kiddos rooms unpacked. We can now see floor! Michela's having some adjustment issues with moving. Last night she informed me that I never asked her if it was ok if we moved. She wanted her old bedroom back. I just sat there in awe and had nothing to say. I didn't take into account what a step this was for her leaving one home to another. That's the only home she knew and I wish I would have handled things a little differently. I know this is a good step for us and she'll adapt quickly. I need to be a little more patient with her adjustment issues or should I say adjustment attitudes. The boys are loving the new house and loving seeing their grandparents everyday. Hopefully, things will start to settle down soon and we can enjoy the holidays. New thing for Parker: He is walking and no longer crawling at all! YEAH! I put him to bed yesterday and he repeated I love you to me. New thing for Mason: His therapists started him in a standing device in school. He's trying to purposefully use his hands in touching toys. Not throwing up as much from the reflux. New thing for Chase: He continues to be my bubble boy. Not taking him anywhere unless I absolutely have to. He's talking more and eating a ton! Blood work continues to come back with good liver levels and they're cutting his meds down more and more. New thing for Michela: She's into the whole Barbie scene. Thinks she's a little diva and is obsessed with Christmas lights. Even called our new neighbors tonight to ask them to turn on their lights before she went to bed.

I have to start today off by telling everyone that was coming to Michael's 30th Birthday party on Friday that is has been POSTPONED! I had to take Michael to the emergency room this week. On Sunday night he began feeling pretty sick and we thought it was the flu, but it worsened. We then thought he had a bowel obstruction, but the ER doc said he had Gastritis, inflammation of the stomach lining. He's in so much pain and has pretty much been in bed all week. He's really upset about the party being postponed, but he's not very functional right now. I think he's worn out from this weekend and his body is telling him to slow down. We did move on Saturday and it went smoothly. Haven't unpacked quite yet though. On Sunday we had our 7th wedding anniversary-but I had to leave him for Cincinnati. Chase had a follow up appt and it went well. We don't have to be back until January for another follow up. It's been one crazy week, again. I seriously think we're on a life time of Candid Camera! So again, Michael's party is postponed. Sorry about the short notice-but we were waiting to see how he would be feeling. Hope all is well and had a nice Thanksgiving!

I have had an absolutely horrible day today. Very hectic with the kiddos. Trying to get things packed for moving-with the kids trying to unpack everything. I realized I had to finish up some continuing education credits that were due today for my social work licensure. To top it off-it's almost 9:30 p.m. and Michael still isn't home from work. We still have to go grocery shopping for tomorrow. I am about to pour a glass of wine and try to relax a little. I have been on the edge of a nervous break down all day. As I am sitting here, kiddos are in bed, I feel ashamed of myself, again. Tomorrow is such a special day. We have so many things to be thankful for this year and here I am stressing over things that should not be stressed over. It was a year ago this week that Chase started his evaluations to be put on the donor list. What a year it has been and can't put into words the thanks that I am feeling. This journal has been such a blessing for me. I am able to share my feelings and thoughts-giving myself my own therapy. God knows I need it! I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and really thinks hard about what they are thankful for tomorrow. Again, please keep the donor family in your prayers. This is their first major holiday without their child. I pray for their strength today and hope they feel some sort of peace during the holidays. Ok-I am off to get my glass of wine. One day down-off to a next one.

It's Monday morning and I am sitting at home - Chase sleeping in his bed! Yeah! He was released yesterday morning from the hospital. On Saturday night he was discharged from the Intensive Care Unit to a step down floor. He needed less and less oxygen and by morning he was completely off-holding his own. He had another chest x-ray and it was clear. They now feel he didn't have pneumonia, but some kind of virus that wiped him out. From here on out he will be known as "Bubble Boy". He will not be going out in public at all until spring time when he has healed a bit more. He was discharged on antibiotics and breathing treatments as needed. You're right in saying Chase is a little fighter and stubborn. I stayed there all day Saturday until he was discharged on Sunday. I fell asleep holding him in the chair, which he probably did not like and decided to head butt me to wake me up. I thought he broke my nose! That's when I knew he was feeling better. Now that last week is over-thank God! We have another full week coming up. We're moving on Saturday. We are in the process of selling our house and buying Michael's parents house. MUCH BIGGER! This little cape cod we're in now is ready for us to move out. Since June, Michael and his dad have been building an "In-Law suite" on the back of the house we're buying. It's beautiful! Michael's parents are going to live there awhile and move into something smaller eventually. The in-law suite will either be turned into a family area or an area for Mason if needed. It's big enough and comfortable enough if he's in a wheel chair. I am not sure if grammie and Papa Del know what they're in for - all of a sudden they're going to have four grandchildren within walking distance. I keep warning Dad Del to make sure they sound proof their area. I think he thinks I am kidding. Michael's back from Florida and his grandparents will be moving this week. CRAZY TIME! Then we have Michael's 30th birthday next week. I am so glad he has finally hit his 30s. I am so sick of hearing about how much older I am than he is-now we're both in our 30s! Speaking of 30-my sis in law turned 30 yesterday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBIN! We love you! Ok-I am off to packing - thank you again to our family that helped out with kiddos while Chase was in the hospital. We are so blessed with all the support we have. Thank you.

Another long day and I'm getting the ugliest bags under my eyes. I went into the hospital this morning to take the next shift with Chase. My dad stayed the night at the hospital with Chaser so I could get some sleep last night. Chase was able to get some needed sleep and slept for over 12 hours. His fever was still up and he was a little lethargic when I went in this morning. As the day went on he started getting some more spunk. His fever continues to go up and down, which causes his heart rate to increase, which causes him to need more oxygen. They were trying all day to wean his oxygen, but it didn't quite work. Right now he's on 4 liters 40% oxy. He's on something called vapotherm treatments where it heats and saturates breathing gases to allow for higher flow (thorugh a nasal canula). At this point he has to stay in the intensive care unit until he can be off the vapotherm. Once he is off the vapotherm, he'll be sent to the step down unit. One good thing is they allowed him to start eating and drinking. He loved the ice cream and pudding, but would not drink any liquids right now. Another good thing is Mr. Mason. He must have known what a horrible week this has been. I had to leave Chase for awhile to take Mason to his occupational therapy. HE DID GREAT! Little man was holding his head up like a champ and trying to grasp a toy. He even attempted to grasp/bring the toy to his mouth. He seemed so proud of himself and started laughing at the therapist when he did it-almost looked like he was thinking "LOOK WHAT I DID!" What a stud he was today. As for this weekend-the kiddos are being split up so I can stay the whole weekend up at the hospital. Michela with my sis, Mason with Gram Del and Parker with my other sis. My parents need a break and some sleep. I am sure by the end of the weekend Parker will be on my door step. That boy is a trip! This morning he crawled up on the stairs, turned around to look at me and yelled "Get Down!". My sister doesn't know what she's in for this weekend with "Dennis the Menace". I'll try and update on Sunday night when I get back. Until then keep the Chaser in your prayers and thanks to everyone that has offered to help out with the kiddos. Oh-Chase's liver is holding strong!!! No signs of rejection! Yeah!

I haven't updated the site this week and it's been one HECTIC week. Chase was admitted to Childrens Hospital yesterday. He woke up and was a little lethargic. He wasn't eating and had a small cough, runny nose. I just had a feeling something was up with him. Then he started breathing pretty funny-almost like he was forcing himself to breath. I took him to his doc, Dr. Hackenberg. We weren't there a few minutes and they had called the ambulance to have him taken to ER. His breathing had worsened and he was turning colors. He tested negative for RSV and influenza. They took some chest x-rays and it's looking like pneumonia-not sure if it's bacterial or viral. His liver is fine and showing no signs of rejection. That is what I thought was originally happening to him. As of right now he's in the Intensive Care Unit at Children's. This morning he was doing much better-his stubborn little self. The antibiotics and "warm" oxygen he's being given seem to be helping. Hopefully, he'll be taken off the oxygen tomorrow and discharged from ICU to a step down. My parents and Michael's mom have been a huge help. Michael left for Florida to help move his grandparents back to Ohio. Like I said ONE HECTIC WEEK! We're praying Chase continues to stay well and does not present with any signs of rejection. I'll try and do a quick update tomorrow too.

Monday morning and it's cold outside. I love the smell of fall and the leaves changing. It's gorgeous outside! Our neighbors did their last Halloween Haunt on Saturday night. We took all the kiddos with my mom and dad - through the yard for a last time. Parker wasn't into it too much-he was spooked a couple times seeing all the witches and skeletons. He slowly began to enjoy all the lights-most of all the candy he got at the end. Our neighbors came over last night to give us the final count of the money. They raised over $1,400! We were shocked at how much money they had raised. They do this every year and average a lot lower then what they raised this year. If you weren't able to make it through this year-try to next year. You won't regret it! They really put their heart into doing the halloween haunt. They did share with me some people that had stopped by to just give donations. To the gentleman on Thornapple-if you're reading this-thank you. We heard about your little kiddos and we were touched that you thought of ours. Thank you to everyone that came and visited. Thank you so much for making this Halloween such a memorable one. It's amazing how something you love to do can give back to someone else. You know that the best thing about this whole halloween haunt is? They not only raised money, but they promoted organ donation. If, just one person, changed their mind to become an organ donor-that would be the best reward. It's funny how the holidays are coming up and I begin to think about Santa, the kiddos, what cookies to make. How to keep in my budget! Then I become ashamed of myself and remember what I should really be celebrating. I think about what God has given us and what plans he has for us. I think about the organ donor's family. I am so excited to spend this holiday with my family and I wonder if they're dreading the holidays. I am hoping that everyone that reads this prays continually for the donor family and prays for their strength to get through the holidays. This Christmas will not be about toys, cookies and shopping. This year will be different.

It's Thursday morning and the kiddos just left for school. Chase woke up ate and fell back asleep. He's taking advantage of the quiet house and is getting caught up on his rest before his brothers and sister come home. People have been asking me how Cincinnati went this past weekend. Chase and I left on Sunday and stayed in a hotel. I was so excited to get some rest with having only Chase with me. We got to the hotel, played and I had just gotten him asleep with I heard a fire alarm. I swear my life is filmed for candid camera. Well-I go out into the hall and there was a manager checking out the room next to me. Apparently, the gentleman in the room had put a baked potato in the microwave-with foil still on it! After that I have no clue what happened-all I know is it was in there for awhile to cause the smoke and damage it had caused. He and his wife finally did come out of the room-stated they were in the shower. So I went back into my room-then my alarm went off in the hotel room with flashing lights. Chase was scared so we went out into the hallway thinking that might better. When we went out into the hallway-it was smoke filled. We then had to go downstairs into the lobby for a bit. When everything was clear-we went back again into our room. This time our room was smelly and smokey. I had to have our changed at 11:00 p.m. There went my night of rest. I called Michael and he just started to laugh. Only us! On a good note-Chase is doing great-almost 17lbs. We don't have to go back to Cinci for another month! YEAH!!!

Could I have cried like a baby anymore this morning? Our kiddos just left for their first day of Calico. I was one of those annoying mothers that got on the bus and took a picture-I even have one of the bus driver and assistant. Michela was so excited to ride for the first time-she told me not to worry and that she'd take care of her brothers. It's 7:30 a.m. and I am about to have my first cup of coffee-Chase is still sleeping. I should be loving this-but already miss the boys and it's only been 30 minutes since they left. I know this is a good thing for Mason and I have to put his needs before me being selfish and wanting him home with me. I know he's going to learn a lot being at Calico. Yesterday we spent 6 hours at Children's hospital in NICU follow up. The kiddo's workers from Help me Grow and Early Intervention came with me to give me a hand with the kiddos. THANK YOU SO MUCH! They were troopers for being there so long. They all had their hearing re-tested. Chase and Parker passed, but Mason didn't. They're not sure if he has a hearing loss or just has trouble turning his head to hear the noise. The audiology department will be doing a brain stem auditory test to make sure he can hear or if he has a loss. Mason will need to he sedated for this test to be done correctly. If he does have a loss we need to catch it early so it won't delay his speech any more. They then went from their hearing tests to developmental tests. Not one of the kiddos were testing in at their adjusted age and that only confirms my feelings about Calico. I know this is the best thing for them and I know they will eventually catch up with their development. Oh the boys article/picture was in the Akron Beacon Journal yesterday. Jewell Cardwell put in a thank you from Michael and I for our community. She then took a picture off our website and put it in the paper. You can go to www.ohio.com to see the article. Sometimes it takes a couple days for the picture to publish. While I am on the subject-our neighbors are also doing an awesome fundraiser for Chase. The have transformed their back yard into a haunted yard. We have been to the last couple and it's amazing. These women that have put this together are amazing. They are the nicest bunch of women and have been working for weeks on their yard. They usually do this for Make a Wish Foundation, but chose Chase's Fund this year. They're taking donations of $2.00 to go through the back yard. They do take into account the little kids and hold off in the "scare department" when taking them through. Their address is 163 Palmetto Avenue if anyone would like to come out this weekend. Our trick or treat is Saturday too! They're having the haunted yard fundraiser this weekend and next. Joanne the "witch" that is putting this all together (no really-she dresses up like a witch *smile*) told me that she has even heard some advertisements on the radio for this fundraiser. I'll take some pics and post them tomorrow. Only of the front though-the back yard is a surprise!

I think I spoke too soon about Chase and not having to go to Cinci. I don't know where to start. We ended up going to Cinci on Wednesday night. On Monday and Tuesday I noticed that everytime I flushed Chase's broviac line a "clot" would form in his line or I believed it was a clot. We have to flush Chase's line with heparin every night to keep the line from clotting off. The past few days a small bubble formed in the line, which I believed was some sort of blood clot. Took him to the docs and he said for me to flush the line a little bit more. We'll it continued to do this, which made me nervous. On Wednesday, it happened again with the nurse. She called the hospital and was told that there may be a hole in his line and it was bubbling up everytime I flushed the line. We had set up to go up to Childrens hospital in Akron to have them try and repair the hole. During this time, Cinci called and told us Chase's hemaglobin levels were low and the docs in Cinci wanted to meet. They agreed to check Chase's line when we went to Cinci. This was later in the afternoon on Wednesday. We had to get packed and leave for Cinci. I had to have Chase in the hospital by 8:30 a.m. the next morning. Michael's mom agreed to come with me and watch the kiddos in the hotel room while I took Chase in for the appt. The next morning we met with the team and they repaired Chase's line. There was a small hole and they fixed it up. The only bad thing is that there is an even higher risk for infection. After the line was repaired, they ordered Chase to have an ultrasound to check for any clots. This could also be throwing off his red blood count. Ultrasound came back clear. That was a good thing. It was then decided that the reason for the changes in his blood work was caused by the EBV virus. Chase is doing a great job by fighting the virus right now. Some changes were made with his medications-higher the steroid dose, lowering his anti-rejection meds. The steroids can help Chase fight the virus. I asked how long Chase would be in "danger" from the EBV virus. I was told the most critical would be a year post-transplant. He will always need to be closely watched now that he's testing positive for EBV. We(Me, Chase and Michela) were at the hospital from 8:30 and got back to the hotel around 3:30 p.m. I was way too tired to drive back last night-so we ended up staying another night. Went to bed at 8:30 p.m. and got up at 8. ALL OF US! I think we were all pretty wiped out. So that is what has been going on the last couple days. I just thank God that Chase is doing alright-what a little fighter. I know my niece's b-day was yesterday and I hated not seeing her. Hope you had a great B-Day Mackie! Love ya!

Good news today...we didn't have to go to Cinci. They called yesterday and told me that he got a good report from the Akron docs and we won't need to come down until next week. Chase is doing well-his "steroid cheeks" are starting to go away as they're decreasing his meds. He's not as "full faced". Parker took two steps this morning. I think he knows how to walk and doesn't want me to know. Mason did well in therapy yesterday and we're starting to work on strengthening his arms. Michela has been GOOD. Yes-GOOD! I don't know what is wrong with her. She hasn't been grounded in over a week. She's been so helpful with the kids lately. I think my little girl may be growing up. Mason and Parker are leaving the nest next week. They're starting the Calico program 3 days a week. I am so excited for Mason. I really think he will excel being in this program. He will have an OT and PT helping him out and he'll be using some adaptive equiptment in the classroom. I am so excited! A little bus will be picking them up and dropping them off-because Michela goes to Pre-school in the same building she can ride with them. I am not going to know what to do! Only having one kiddo in the house. I can actually go grocery shopping and take my time. I can leave the house and only make one trip to the car-instead of 4-5 when I have the kids. It's sad the things I get excited about.

Here is an update that has recently happened with Chase. This past Thursday Chase's bloodwork came back positive for the EBV virus. This is a virus that his donor liver was positive for when transplanted. We knew this and we're hoping that Chase did not show up positive anytime soon. EBV is the short name for Epstein-Barr Virus infection, also called Mononucleosis. About 85% of adult Americans will test "positive" for EBV antibodies, which means they have been exposed to the disease in the past. Organs from anyone who has ever been exposed to EBV can transmit the virus to the recipient (Chase). The major concern regarding EBV infection is that it may later develop into lymphoproliferative disease (LPD), which is a malignant condition (cancer). EBV also may be responsible for chronic fatigue in transplant patients, and occasionally it can cause hepatitis and damage the liver. EBV infection can be controlled with anti-viral therapy and reducing his immunosuppression medications (anti-rejection meds). The best way to prevent LPD may be to avoid "over-immunosuppression." So the Cinci transplant team reduced his anti-rejections medications to give his body a chance to fight off the EBV virus. I hope I am making sense to everyone. It took me a lot of reading and talking with the RNs and docs to understand this fully. Chase is not showing any major signs right now-just a little fatigue. I have to thank his GI doc-Dr. Collins-at Akron Childrens. Cinci wanted Chase seen right away and could not get ahold of me on Friday. I was in the social security building and could not use a cell phone. My dad was watching the boys for me at the house. Dr. Collins made a home visit to check on Chase for the Cinci transplant team. If he hadn't of made the home visit we would have had to go to Cinci on Friday. Chase could not be blessed with a better treatment team. At this point, we have to go back and have Chase seen again by Akron docs on Monday. Then on Wednesday I have to take Chaser to Cinci to see the transplant team. He has blood work being drawn on Monday and we'll get a better idea of where we stand with his liver numbers. If they still are questionable-he'll be admitted to Cinci hospital on Wedensday for further testing/treatment. This is just another obstacle we have come across and have to overcome right now. Chase has come so far right now-this will only make him stronger. On a lighter note-upon finding out about his blood work and what was going to be done-I had a melt down while talking to his transplant coordinator on the phone. During my melt down, for some reason, my wonderful daughter thought it would make me feel better to take my picture while I was crying. She just learned how to use her disposable camera and used it up by taking my picture at my worst moment. Gotta love her.

It's Tuesday morning and I am starting to clean up again. We're having someone come look at the house tomorrow night. Keeps your fingers crossed! Yesterday we went to Cinci for Chase's follow up appt. His labs are coming back normal except for the red blood count. They're running more labs and checking his urine/stool to see if he's bleeding anywhere. The way they explained it to me was that during the transplant Chase received a blood transfusion and his body is not making enough of it's own red blood cells from the donor blood. They are also checking to see if it could be any type of autoimmune problems. Other than that he's doing well and hanging in there like a champ. Took the "big bus" to Cinci yesterday and what a difference. We weren't cramming things in the car and had so much more room. We did the trip in one day and the kids were very tired by the time we came home last night. Did went with me to help with the kids during the appt. and Michael's parents watched Michela. I have to tell ya one funny thing that happened. If any of you know my father-you'll even think it's funnier! My Dad was watching the boys and smelled something "funny". I was in the doc's office when it happened. My dad went to pull Parker's diaper back to see if he had pooped-well he did. Dad's finger came up with the evidence all over. I thought it was pretty funny-but I knew not to laugh too hard *smile*. Oh and something else that happened this week. Michela is still growing her hair out to give to Locks of Love. Well she decided to start the process and cut some of her hair off without our help. I came downstairs and there were little locks of hair all over the floor. She continually denied doing it and said "her hair fell out when she was sleeping on her pillow". Yeah right! When I told her she had one more chance to tell me the truth-she still stuck to her story. Even though the scissors were sitting right next to her hair. I then told her she was grounded for lying. Michela then decided to try and "fix her story". She said, "Mommy, I told you I was trying to grow my hair long for the sick kids. I cut it off for them". That girl really knows how to turn it around. She's still grounded.

It's Wednesday morning and I have no doc appts today! YEAH! Mason's swallow study was cancelled and rescheduled. Kids are doing well-keeping us pretty busy. Michela is growing up too fast. She's growing her hair out for locks of love. She seems to understand what she is doing and is starting to show some excitement now that her hair is getting longer. Parker-don't know where to start with him. I think the other kids are actually opening the door to the bathroom so Parker can get in there and play in the toilet. He now knows how to get out of his gate and into the bathroom. I think it's long overdue to put a lock on the toilet. That kid is sick. Chase is gaining weight like a champ. His blood work is coming back normal except for his iron levels. They're going to do more blood work tomorrow morning to make sure his little body is producing bone marrow. Mason has been discharged from his apnea monitor - yeah! His physical therapist was pretty pleased with his session yesterday. Mason worked really hard and lifted his neck up more than usual. He was exhausted at the end of therapy and slept well. His occupational therapist has made hand splints for Mason to wear at night due to the spasticity in his hands. His hands are flat against the splint during the night to stretch them out. He hates them and tears them off at night. I am going to try and put some socks over his hands/splints to see if that will work. This past weekend we went to a camp fire at West Branch with the family. Very relaxing and it was nice to get out. We're still trying to sell the house-no luck. Had an open house on Sunday and not one person came through. Sorda discouraging - we clean all day and nobody comes through. I am anxious to get into the Stow house so we won't have to prepare for house showings here. It's pretty hard with kiddos trying to mess up as you clean up. Other than that-things are going well. My sister in laws baby shower is Saturday and my niece's b-day party is Sunday. This will be a nice weekend with family and friends. Chase has to stay home-still in seclusion for one more month and we're off to Cinci again on Monday.

Sorry it's been awhile since I've updated the website. It's been so busy here. With us trying to sell the house and traveling back and forth to Cinci-it's insane. Went to Cinci this weekend-Chase has finally reached the 16 lb mark! YEAH! He's such my little chunk. He's pulling up and starting to put a lot more weight on his belly and legs. The bad thing is that when he pulls up on things-he yells until you come and get him. He hasn't quite figured out what to do once he's standing. It's hilarious to watch how mad he'll get at us until we help him out. He has such a temper-get's that from his dad *smile*. As for Mr. Parker-he's getting huge and super active. He has this sensitivity to his feet-so we're still having trouble getting him to stand up when we hold him his fingers. It has to be on his terms. Mr. Mason-were do I start with that little man. He's been through so much since we have been back home. He's back in his Occupational and Physical Therapy. We're really concentrating on his neck-he still favors the one side so we're doing everything we can to get him to look to the left. We also met with his neurologist this past week. She's starting him on the baclofin. I am really nervous about this-he already has a lot of weakness in his tone and this is a muscle relaxer. She wants to concentrate more on his spasticity in his hands and feet. She has promised if his tone get's any weaker we will stop the medicine. We won't be starting the medication treatment until after his swallow study scheduled for next week. He continues to have bad reflux and is aspirating (so we think). He's miserable and crying quite a bit. He also had a sleep study done last Thursday for his Apnea. We haven't gotten the results back from that test yet. So yes-it's been quite busy around here. Looking forward to some quiet days...*as I sit here laughing to myself*. And as for Miss Michela. Where do I begin-she's changed her halloween outfit now 3 times. It was Strawberry Shortcake, then changed to a fairy and last night she finally bought the outfit she's going to wear....a PENGUIN! She said she likes to waddle when she's wearing the costume. That girl wears me out.

Back from Cinci this afternoon-WHAT A TRIP! These boys are CRAZY! It was very hard trip with me and three active boys! They didn't go to bed until midnight and I back up 4:30 a.m. They do not sleep well in hotels. We drove into Cinci yesterday and had the appt. this morning at 8:30 a.m. Blood had to be drawn before he took his anti-rejection meds. Chase gained and is weighing in at 15 lbs 13 ounces. His blood work came back great and they started taking him off some of his meds. Blood pressure meds were stopped and iron was decreased. Yeah! Michael and Michela went to our friend's birthday party. HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY KAYLA! WE LOVE YA! I hated missing the party. I am exhausted and about to go to bed-one funny thing did happen today. We got back from CINCI and I was in the boy's bedroom changing Chase's diaper. I heard Parker cracking upin the other room, so I started to laugh with him. The more I laughed-the more he laughed. When I finished changing Chase I went to see what was so funny with Parker - HE WAS PLAYING AND SPLASHING IN THE TOILET! He was completely soaked-when I walked into the bathroom he cracked up laughing at me-I stopped laughing.

It's Friday morning and I have a few short minutes to journal. I have put the kiddos down for a nap and Michela is in Time Out. Boy that girl is SASSY! If I was that sassy to my parents I deeply apologize. Parker has a cold and is sleeping non stop, Chase is going non stop and Mason is exhausted from Mommy doing so much therapy with him. This week has been quite busy. Mama D started her cancer treatments on Monday. She's doing well, just a little tired. Please continue to keep her health in your prayers. We're very optimistic about her treatment. The kiddos sent her flowers this week to cheer her up. Mason has been to occupational and physical therapy already. We also had early intervention and help me grow come out with their therapists. Mason's doing well, but they now feel he has torticollis. His head strongly favors one side so we're doing really intensive stretching with him-he hates it. Chase's lab work came back questionable. His kidney levels were off showing some dehydration. They're repeating the test today. Off to Cinci again on Sunday to meet with the team early Monday morning. Chase met with his GI team here in Akron yesterday-he was showing off a little bit. He loves those nurses up there in the GI department-sorry Dr. Collins-he really comes to see your staff. As for Miss Michela-she's doing well. Typical 4 year old going on 13. Michael and I are taking a long needed date night and going out to dinner. Let's just hope our sitter will come back again after babysitting tonight. The boys are very mobile from when she last watched them. Ok-Michela is trying to get out of time out-so I am done journaling for today. Hope all is well - Jodi *New Milestone* Parker is signing more when he wants more food. Chase is pulling up on steps.*

We are home! It's Sunday night and we're exhausted. I think with everything going on we've been on overdrive and now it's catching up to us. I even took a nap today! Haven't done that in awhile. I felt guilty but loved it. We have so much unpacking to do and getting the house back in order. I want everyone to see Chase so badly, but right now he's still in isolation. He can't be around a lot of people and when we take him out we have to keep him masked or covered up. He will be like this until the end of October-we'd love to have you meet our new little man. I mean new in everyway-he's gained 4 pounds since his surgery and has so much more energy. He's an entirely new baby. We did eventually get out of our hotel room yesterday and got home around 3:00 p.m. Our neighbors had put balloons all over our house and a HUGE welcome home sign in our front lawn. YES-I cried. Not a surprise. Very emotional weekend coming home. Feels like the last couple months have been a blur. Another huge chapter in our life is over and we couldn't be more grateful. My mom asked how I felt coming home. I told her it was one of the weirdest feelings ever. I feel like I did coming home from 3 months of hospital bed rest. It doesn't feel normal. Sorda feels like an empty feeling. I think it's because we have focused so much on preparing for the transplant. Michael and I can't be happier with how everything has turned out and now it's time to focus on having somewhat of a normal family - yeah right...we'd be bored.

It's Friday afternoon and my dad, gram and gramps left back to Akron. They came in on Wednesday and helped out til this morning. I was able to get some grocery shopping done and my car washed/cleaned out. My dad had left some seafood leftovers in my backseat and it was found a day after a long hot day! That was the most disgusting smell ever! Yes-worse than diapers! My girlie and hubby are coming in tonight with my inlaws. They're staying over the holiday weekend. I can not WAIT to see all of them. Chase had an appt. with doc this morning, his levels are a little high so they're changing a medication. I am not sure when we'll be coming home-they said they're going to take it week by week right now and to not plan for anything. I can handle staying out here, but I am missing Michael and Michela soooo much! I think the boys are too. New things going on-Chase is waving bye bye and saying it. He's now crawling on his stomach, which he wasn't doing at home. His belly was so distended he got everywhere sliding on his back. He's now also trying to pull up. Chase no longer sleeps and all he does is eat and play. He's taking advantage of feeling good. Mason seems to be getting stronger with a little more head control. He loves the swimming pool and actually has a lot more head control in the water. As for Mr. Parker - he seems down a little this week. I think he's missing his sister too. I showed him a picture of her on the computer and he got sooo excited. Parker's being a little lazy and will NOT try and take steps. He figures it's way easier to get around by crawling. Not sure if I'll be posting this weekend-I plan on staying busy with my little girlie. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Tuesday night and I am getting a little lonely. I can only speak baby talk for so long. I miss Michela and Michael so much and can't wait to see them this weekend. My Grandma called and said my Dad is bringing her and my Gramps down tomorrow to help out. I can't wait to see them too. The kiddos great grandma is one of the strongest women I know. My dad called me the other day and said he saw a lot of my grandmother in me-I think that was one of the best compliments I had ever gotten. I know the kiddos are going to be excited to see them. My cousin also stopped by today-so I actually did get some adult time with someone. I think he came to see the kiddos though-I was secondary. Right Jer? Anyhow-I am off to bed-I got my "Big Brother" fix (tv show). Yes, I am addicted to reality tv - when I get to watch it! Oh-funny thing that happened today. Couldn't find Parker-eventually I found him halfway down the hotel hallway. The cleaning lady left the door open and my little man busted out. When he saw me he started laughing and crawled as fast as he could down the hall. He's going to be trouble. Oh and can't forget-Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Danielle-Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday DD we love you!

It's Monday evening and WHAT A DAY! The boys were crazy and CRANKY! Everyone left yesterday to go back to Akron and I think they were over-tired from this weekend. They had bunches of visitors and were loving every minute of it. My dad came down, along with my sister and her boyfriend and two other friends of ours, Mapi and Chris. They all watched the kiddos while Michael and I spent the day at Kings Island. We had so much fun on Saturday. Then on Saturday night Chase ended up cutting his finger. It took us over an hour to get it to clot-almost had to take him to the ER, but we eventually got it to stop. Mason got his haircut for the first time and he's looking like a little stud muffin. I have video I'll try and add on later. Michela started back to pre-school today. I miss her so much and Michael. He started back to work today. So it's just me and my three sons. They're keeping Mommy very busy. Today Chase had a doc appt. I used the wagon, along with the bumbo and padded half the wagon for Mason to lean on the blankets. It worked out pretty good. The only bad thing was Parker kept trying to get out and while we were walking he'd throw all of his toys out, so I had to keep stopping and pick them up. I need to get toys that attach to the wagon. As for Chase's appt-I won't be able to come home this weekend. His liver enzyme levels are showing some changes. They're still in the normal range, but are slightly increasing. They want to keep an eye on them closely. This could be a sign that his body is starting to show some rejection. All we can do is keep pray his levels get better. So for right now-we're gonna hang out here in Cinci. We haven't got the go ahead to come home yet.

Stroller shopping didn't go too well. We have a wagon to use-but the problem with this is that Mason and Chase do not sit up yet and Parker does. They do not fit and Parker would be trying to jump out every chance he would get. He's CRAZY! This past week he has sat on Chase's head, taken all of the baby wipes out and spread them all over the room, opens the dishwasher, dumped the trash can and ate God knows what he found off the floor. Chase scoots everywhere, gets stuck and screams until we help him out. Mason sits there and laughs at the both of them. Michela acts like a little Mommy and corrects them every chance she gets. I am sure people in the hall way hear us and wonder what goes on in here. Ok-back to the stroller. The stroller that didn't fit was the baby trend triple stroller. This stroller did not fit into our car and the kiddo that sat in the middle barely had any leg room. The triple jogging stroller (side by side) would fit into our minivan but not through any doors. The problem with this is I practically live at the doctor's offices and wouldn't be able to get through the doors. The other triple tandems that we like are super expensive (1,000+)and aren't worth spending the money on right now. Michael's parent's bought us the cutest train-wagon for their birthday that 3 little wagon-cars attach together, but two kids aren't sitting up. It's going to be great when they are able to sit in the seats. We checked out the Ergo baby carrier and I am going to carry one kiddo on me and push the other two in the umbrella strollers. We found attachements that will attach umbrella strollers and we will probably use this to go to appts. Mason doesn't sit very well in these either, so I will carry him in the baby carrier. I spoke with the triple decker company last night that made our base for the stroller and they said for us to buy the bicycle seats they had made for their bases (if we bought them they wouldn't be here for 4 weeks). Again, Mason doesn't sit up very well and you have to velcro the seats onto the base everytime you use them and put them into the car. Someone needs to come up with a stroller that is more compact and easier for multiples. It's so frustrating! I know a couple of women from the multiples group read this website and if you have any suggestions we'd be more than happy to hear them. It's just a little harder having triplets and one kiddo that we're not sure when he'll sit up. Other than that-we're doing great and can't wait to come home! Chase is going to be a watermelon when we return-he eats more than his sister!

It's Sunday night and feeling a little low tonight. I think it's because Michael's mom left back to Akron and my parents left after a weekend visit. I also know that Michael will be leaving in a next week to go back home to work. We are hopefully going to be decreasing the amount of doctor's appts. so Michael feels comfortable going back to work. Right now we're doing 3 doc appts. a week and hopefully after next week we can decrease it to 2 appts. a week. Chase is still getting blood work and blood pressure checks 3 times at the hotel in the AM and that afternoon is when we go to the docs office. Chase is gaining weight and looking so cute! The nurses say that he has steroid cheeks. He's on steroids and has these huge, chunky cheeks. I love them! They're starting to decrease the steroids very slowly. They discontinued one of his meds, but added an iron supplement. His levels aren't looking the best and he may need a blood transfusion tomorrow. We'll know after his labs get back. His blood pressures are also running a little higher, so his bp meds were increased. He's a totally different kiddo with us. He's always so happy and isn't napping during the day. Chase was napping 3 times a day and we're lucky now if he'll take one nap. The rest of the kiddos are doing great-since Michela isn't in pre-school while we're here we're trying to work with writing her name a little neater. It's really hard for her to concentrate with everything going on. Parker is EVERYWHERE and into EVERYTHING! I think he'll be walking soon. Mason is loving the pool and now that I have more time I am trying to do more therapy. He was a little neglected for the first two weeks and I felt horrible. I miss everyone back home and can't wait to return to somewhat of a "normal" life-whatever that is. Michael and I joke that we won't get along as well without chaos in our life. We're so used to it-that we'll probably get bored with each other. I really want to thank everyone that has sent care packages for the kiddos. Michela really looks forward to opening those and the boys love the toys. Oh and to Mama Del-thank you for giving your last 3 weeks to help us out. We couldn't have done it without you staying with us and helping with the kids. Michela, Mason, Chase and Parker miss you already...

It's been quite busy with Chase's care since his discharge. His medications alone are enough to cause stress. His anti-rejection medication is given at 9am and 9pm everyday. You can not be too early or too late in giving the medication or it will upset his levels. Upset levels mean rejection. The docs have set up a table for us to follow in giving the medications and this helps us a ton! We're going to clinic 3 times a week and a nurse is coming to do blood draws 3 times a week. Within the next 2 weeks we'll cut the visits down to twice a week and eventually to once a week. We'll probably be in Cinci for another 4-6 weeks. We miss home bunches... We had some friends of ours visit this past weekend, along with my mom and dad and sister's family. Michela loved having her lil cousin Mackie here with us. Michael and I got out today to celebrate the past two weeks. We went out to dinner and to the casino in Indiana for a little bit. We played the nickel and penny slots. You could tell we weren't the big gamblers...we had a blast anyway. When Mom and Dad were here this weekend they surprised us with a ton of gifts for the boys. Apparently, the University of Akron Divas that my mom works with had a "grand-baby shower" for her at work. There were tons of diapers, clothes, wipes, lotions, etc. for the boys and Michela. I was totally surprised, along with my Mom. She just kept saying how great the women were that she worked with and you could tell how much it meant to her. How generous and thoughtful-if you guys are reading this thank you so much!!! Thank you for being such a great support to our family. Oh and on an even better note-Chase has gained 4 ounces in 3 days! YEAH!!! He's getting a double chin!

CHASE WAS DISCHARGED! He was back at the hotel with us by 2:00 p.m. He seems so happy, but a little out of his element. He slept really well through the night and has been eating great. We have a nurse coming this morning for labs. We have to give him 9 medications throughout the day-3 times a day and check blood pressure twice. We also have to flush his broviac line once and change the dressing once a week. The nurse will come out 3 times a week for blood draws. We already have follow up appts. set for Friday and then again on Monday with the GI doc. I feel more at ease with as much knowing the docs are staying so involved. Michael and I are so happy right now and feel like this is an end to a new beginning for us. Leaving the hospital was very emotional. We have thought and prayed for this day for so long, it feels like it's all a dream. I wish the donor family knew how well he was doing. I really feel it would give them some peace. I understand that we can't make contact for one year, but I think it would help them through their pain. I still constantly think about the donor family and pray for God to give them strength. You feel somewhat guilty being so happy.

Chase will not be flying the coop tomorrow-they have postponed it to Wednesday. He has to have a surgical procedure done tomorrow which involves having a single lumen central broviac line put into his upper chest. He will be put under general anesthesia during the surgery. We were hoping for discharge tomorrow, but no such luck. They want to make sure the line works ok throughout the night. This line will provide the nurses with easier access getting blood draws. We're up at the hospital right now doing our 24 hour training. Things are going well-we just practiced our CPR training and how to take care of a central line. Chase's weight has dropped a little, but they don't seem too concerned. He's eating like a piggy and we're waiting for it to pick up again. I found out during rounds this morning that Chase's donor liver was positive for a virus caled CMV (cytomegalovirus). They have him on a medication to combat the virus, because Chase's liver tested negative. From what they say, most people come up positive with this virus, but it's a concern with patients that have had transplants. We can fight the virus on our own, but transplant patients can not. Chase will be on the medication for 14 days and they said this will help him with any complications. The hotel we're staying at right now is cleaning the carpets and furniture in the hotel room for us in the morning before Chase gets there. They're also having their cleaning staff wear masks when they enter into the room. Docs are continually stressing how important it is for Chase to stay away from germs. We couldn't be happier with Arcadia Suites and how much they've helped us out. Oh and Chase got his second tooth today-ya never know-by the time we come home he'll have a full set of chompers!

Saturday morning and last night was great. We had family come in from Akron and had such a good time. Chase LOVED his visitors. We're getting some more today-he's seeing all his cousins, aunts and uncles, grams and gramps. We came in this morning and CHASE GOT HIS FIRST TOOTH! Now we know why he has been so cranky the last two days and not sleeping. He's in a much better mood, eating and sleeping well. Grandma Del is feeding him his bottle right now. She's been such a huge help while we're here in Cinci. She's been staying with us and will be staying with us to help out for the next couple weeks. My mom and dad came in today to help with the boys so she could come in and see Chase for awhile. Everyone has been such a great support and we couldn't be more thankful. Oh and Mapi-thank you so much for sending those cookies! My sister and Greg are taking Michela to the Cinci zoo today. She's having a blast playing and swimming with Greg's girls. Oh-and when I logged on this morning there was a strange video on my youtube - we have no clue where this video came from, but hopefully it's fixed. We think someone hacked into my videos somehow. So far-the discharge date for Chase continues to be Tuesday

Wednesday morning and Michael is back in Cinci. I hated him being away-you really learn to get comfort from each other. We're up at the hospital and Chase is doing well. Hie personality is coming back and he's smiling much more. They are placing an NG tube this morning to bypass his stomach and go directly into the intestines. Everytime he eats something his belly is becoming distended and they're not sure of the reason. They're going to try this and slowly start feeding him to get his digestive system back on track. He was started on some blood pressure meds, but now that he's not retaining water so much I think his blood presssure will come back to normal. His puffiness is almost completely gone. His face and legs look so much better. He's still a little sore when we hold him, but it seems to be getting better also. We're waiting for radiology to come get us for the NG placement-then hopefully he'll get some sleep. Michela is doing well-she's back at the hotel with Grandma and Grandpa Del swimming. Parker and Mason are surprisingly adapting really well too. Hope all is well and thank you again for all your emails and messages. We love every single one of them!

It's Tuesday evening and it's been pretty busy today. I met with the transplant coordinator this morning to go over post-transplant care. I was a bit surprised as to what she had to say. Some things I found interesting were that Chase will be on his anti-rejection medication the rest of his life. He will take it twice a day at the SAME TIME every day. We only have a 15 minute window to give the medication or it will mess up his levels. If he continually misses doses his body can start to reject his new organ. He can not be in day care until he's potty trained, he can't swim in ponds, lakes or public pools until he can learn not to swallow the water. He has to be very careful around pets and must wash his hands when coming in contact with dogs or cats. They urge that the animals are up to date on their shots. There were quite a few other things she discussed, but these were the ones that stick out in my head right now. Chase is still in the intensive care unit. His blood pressure is running a bit high and he's irritable. They think it's because of excess gas building up in his belly. They're going to keep him one more night to see how he does. They NG'd him last night to get rid of some air in his belly. His liver levels continue to improve-yeah! He scratched out two more staples-by the time the RN comes to take the rest out they'll be gone. The transplant team gave me a picture of his old liver that they took out. It's truly amazing. The surgeon that did the transplant told me that when Chase was brought into the OR room he looked over at them while they were preparing the new liver for the transplant. The said he watched them until he was put to sleep. Crazy...

It's Sunday night and it's been quite eventful. I want to first wish a very happy anniversary to my brother and sister in law. Hope you had a nice day spent together. This morning we met the docs in rounds and no major information to report. That is a good thing! He had another ultrasound and his little body is showing no signs of rejection right now. Labs are getting better. When I walked into the room his whole room had smelled from a poopy diaper. Some of you may think this is gross-but it was the best thing I had ever seen. His poop was dark brown!!! We wanted to take a picture, but thought it may be a little tacky-the people at the photo lab would probably turn us into children services. The change of color of his stool shows signs that his liver is working and the liver is producing bile. Pre-transplant, his stools were very light, sometimes looking like a whitish color. Best diaper I had ever changed! We then went back to the hotel and moved our rooms to our two bedroom. We have much more room and were able to unpack our things. Grandma and Grandpa Carr went back to Akron this morning and Grandma and Grandpa Del are staying here with us. A lot of you had asked how to reach us so I am gonna post where we are staying: Arcadia Residential Suites 11180 Dowlin Drive Cincinnati, Ohio 45241 TEL (513) 354-1030. Michael is driving back to Akron tomorrow to take care of some last minute things that weren't taken care of before we had left. We're also going to sign with a realty company to help sell the house while we are gone. I have family staying at the house while we're out of town to help take care of things. We miss everyone back home and thanks again for all your support.

We are sitting here at the hospital holding Chase - can't ask for a better day! The docs are so excited about his progress. Today his NG tube, arterial line, catheter and nasal canula have been taken out. He looks great! His bilirubin level is 0=normal and Chase's liver enzymes are lower. I held him for awhile and then Michael is holding him right now while Chase sleeps. He's still getting some morphine, but is much more alert. He's a little swollen and they've started him on some meds to help with water retention. We're going to try and feed him a bottle here in a little bit. Oh-and he'll probably be coming off formula when he gets discharged. YEAH! He'll hopefully have a regular diet, along with his medications. At this moment he is on 10 medications, which 2 of them are immunosuppresants. These medications inhibit his immune system and will help prevent the rejection of his new liver. We have to be extra careful with germs due to his weak immune system. Aunt Danielle and Uncle Al went home this morning after bringing Mama D and the boys. My mom and dad are going back tomorrow. We're going back to the hotel tonight to give some of our other kiddos a little attention. I feel like we've been ignoring them. They're missing their little brother and can't wait for him to come back home.

It�s 11:25 p.m. on Friday night and I am sitting here in a full size hotel bed with Michela, Mason and Parker sleeping right next to me. Grandma Del, Danielle and Al drove in tonight. A 3 � hour drive took them almost 5 � hours to get to Cinci. Grandma Del is going to stick around for the next few weeks to help out with the boys and Michela. My parents and Grandpa Del have been such a great help over the last two days. The Arcadia Residential Suites hotel we�re staying at has a two bedroom suite and a swimming pool for the kiddos. We�re in smaller hotel rooms right now and when the suite opens up on Sunday we�re going to move over to there. The hotel is about 20 minutes from the hospital. We�ll be comfortable and Michela will be able to stay busy swimming. Michael is up at the hospital sitting with Chase tonight and I am going to go up early tomorrow morning. Chase is stable and still in and out- pretty groggy. He�s starting to show some signs of pain and is getting morphine to help him relax. His incision looks great. They have tubes in his lower abdomen to help with some of the draining. We�re hoping they�ll be able to pull the drain out tomorrow. He�s still itching pretty badly. Because of him being so jaundice it�s taking some time for the itching to go away. At times when he wakes up he scratches his skin raw. They�re giving meds to help out with that and we�re praying that as his new liver kicks in the itching will stop. His finger tips and toes are starting to turn pink. He�s NEVER been pink. Our little banana boy has always been shades of yellow and sometimes green. The whites of his eyes are starting to turn white and not so yellow. We�re pleasantly surprised that he�s not swollen. We were expecting to see a lot of retention, but as of right now no swelling. His incision site is beautiful. They were able to use his previous scar from his Kasai to go through and the surgeons only made one more incision. Chase�s labs are coming back a little better and some are still pretty abnormal, but they�re saying that is normal. As of right now Chase is doing what is to be expected. We have told him about all the prayers and support he�s getting. Please continue to pray that his little body does not reject his new found liver. They have told us to expect some sort of rejection, but we�re praying for his body to accept that little organ as part of his own.

It's Friday morning and we're on CLOUD 9 right now. Michael and I are sitting beside Chase's bed just staring at him. He's going to be in the PICU for a couple more days and then to a step down room. He looks amazing. Not quite sure about his color yet-the lights are off and they use some sort of antibacterial liquid all over his body during surgery that has a blue tint. His color is sorda a green color. The liquid should wear off within the next day or so. Chase is still groggy and slowly waking up. When he wakes up they're going to take out his intubation tube. Chase's breathing is steady and he's breathing on his own. What a little fighter! Nurses said that about 5:30 a.m. he woke up and started kicking and moving around. He then fell back asleep and hasn't woken up since. Chase is just tuckered out after such a long day yesterday. The grandparents are all at breakfast re-fueling with Michela and then they're coming back up to the hospital. Michael and I are LOVING everyone's emails and comments on parentshack. Couldn't ask for better support from everyone! We are so blessed and please know that each and every email/posting has truly touched us.

It's 8:30 p.m. and we have just said our good byes to Chase. Very emotional and one of the hardest things I have, personally, had to do. Saying good-bye to our little man and knowing one of his organs is being re-placed by another child's is simply overwhelming. I can not express how thankful I am to the donor family and what a wonderful gift they have given to my family and friends. This is the most precious gift Chase will ever have. We're all sitting here in the waiting room, nobody is saying much of anything. We're waiting for the first message that he has been put to sleep. There is a transplant coordinator and a chaplain that will keep coming out to give us updates. As they update us-we will update you. The surgeon has said the liver is in excellent condition and they were debating whether to take part of the liver or transplant the whole thing. They have come to the conclusion that the liver is too big and they will be taking the left lobe to transplant into Chase. We know no information about the donor family, but they do know about us. They know that their child's liver is going to a 13 month old triplet boy. I pray that this will help in their healing...

Sis, thank you so much for updating the site. Yes, we're in cinci awaiting a liver for our little man Chase. We have waited for this day to write "Chase is getting his liver" in the journal. We got a phone call a little after 5:00 a.m. this morning and we pulled into the hospital appx. 9:00 a.m. We're filled with different emotions and praying every moment we can. We're asking that anyone and everyone please say a special prayer for Chase this afternoon and please put him on your prayer chains. They are flying the liver in today around 1:00 p.m. Chase is being prepped right now and not so happy. The funny thing is when I went to get him out of the car he had pulled out his NG tube and smiled. He knew he wouldn't be needing it anymore. We've had a ton of people coming in and out of the room getting him ready for the surgery. It's a bit overwhelming and wonderful. I will try to keep this website updated as much as possible. I will udpate as I hear things from the nurses and surgeons. We are asking also for an even more special prayer for the family that lost their child. I am having a hard time knowing that another family lost a little one. Hopefully, they know about Chase and it helps with their healing process. Ok guys-start praying and I'll update in awhile....

It's Wednesday night and we're pretty tired after this weekend. We spent most of the day getting ready for our open house on Sunday. We put the For Sale sign in the lawn - mixed feelings putting the house up for sale. We have outgrown our humble abode-but we've had so many memories just in the last 5 years here. We had the physical therapist, occupational therapist, early interventionist and help me grow nurse come out to the home this morning. They were totally impressed with how well Mason is doing in his physical therapy. He did have PT yesterday and it was the best PT session he's had yet. His head is getting stronger and with some support he held himself on all fours. While he was on his knees and hands he brought his head up. Tears instantly started running down my face - along with the therapist. Such a wonderful moment. Next step is trying to get him to roll over. He has not rolled over on his own yet. When you have a child with disabilities even the smallest step is such a wonderful thing. We just hope that those small improvements keep coming. New weights as of today are Mason 16 lbs 9 oz. Parker 23 lbs. Chase 14 lbs. Early this evening we had a volunteer come out from Children's Hospital. She was so great and the kids instantly took to her. The Pallative Care Team at Children's arranged for us to get some help in the home. She's going to come out once a week for a couple hours. She's going to help out with the kiddos if needed. It's nice because I can spend some one on one time with Michela, while the volunteer entertains the boys. It gets hard to give her mommy/michela time with 3 boys wanting all of your attention. This will be a such a positive thing for Mickey and the trio. Well I am off to clean yet another closet!

It's Monday afternoon and we are in Cinci. Michael and Chase had bunches of appts. with docs today. Michael is going through testing to be a living liver donor for Chase. This morning Michael had a CT-Angiogram. Chase then had an appt. with his GI doc and nutritionist. After that appt. Michael had to have a chest x-ray completed. We then went to lunch - we thought we'd relax a little-what were we thinking! We only had two of the kids and I felt like a circus was sitting with us. Chase and Mason were quite the little characters yelling as much as they could and getting mad everytime we took a bite of food. Going out to eat with the kiddos is going to be a thing of the past real soon. After lunch Michael has an appt. outside Cinci with a digestive doc. Michael has to get the OK from a physician that is outside of the transplant team. We should be getting all the results back in about a week to see if Michael can be a living donor for Chase. Let's pray he is a match. We will be getting back tomorrow and getting the house ready for our first OPEN HOUSE! We're trying to seel the house by owner and we're holding the first open house on Sunday. We're praying it sells fast! I'll keep the journal updated with Michael's results as soon as we get them! Love ya! Jodi

It's Thursday night and I am sooo tired today. This morning my Aunt Jan came in from Connecticut and met the kiddos for the first time. She's staying the weekend with the family. Then Michael's Aunt Helen came in from Long Island, NY to meet the kiddos. Tomorrow we're meeting up with my Aunt Colleen in from North Carolina. We love having all this family in town. We're all going to Cuyahoga Falls tomorrow for the Italian Festival. Michael loves the Italian Sausages and Cannolis. His Aunt Helen brought some in from Long Island. He's spoiled to the New York Cannolis. The best ones he has found around here are made at a pizza place called Pizzanos in Stow. We won't be able to walk too much tomorrow at the festival with Michael. His knee is doing a lot better, but he still has some trouble getting around. It's pretty swollen tonight from being on it all day. Kiddos are doing great-sleeping peacefully. Michela is still our little diva. She wants to play soccer this fall. I am trying to get her on a team in Stow and trying to find a soccer camp. I really think she'll do pretty well. That girl has more energy than anyone I know! Oh and Chase's official PELD score is a 23. Today Chase has been on the Liver Transplant list for 7 months.

It's Sunday night and I have just put all the munchkins to bed. Michael had his surgery this past Friday at St. Thomas Hospital. We were at the hospital from 10:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. The surgery only took 20 minutes. The doc was running almost 3 hours behind-needless to say it was a bit frustrating. His surgery went well and they repaired his cartilage. Good news is he will be able to snowboard this winter. He was pretty nervous that he wouldn't be able to, but doc said everything else looked pretty good. I think Michael was under the impression he'd be up and walking the next day after surgery. His leg is swollen like a big ole melon and it hurts him to put any weight on the knee. He was able to get up a little tonight and stretch it out. I think he's getting house-a-tosis and is ready to go back to work. Hopefully, he'll be back within the next two weeks. As for the munchkins they're doing great. Michela spent a couple nights with Grandma and Grandpa Del Ferraro. She then went swimming with Grandma Carr today. I think she's pretty worn out. As for the boys-they're doing great. Chase spent the day with me at a friends baby shower yesterday. He was the only male there and was flirting with all the ladies. Those eye lashes can get ya everytime. Oh before I forget- A SUPER BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUG TO OUR GEORGIAN FRIEND THOMAS! WE MISS YA!

It's Tuesday night and I am on-line searching for a physioball for Mason. His physical therapy is going really well and he's started using this ball shaped like a peanut. It's amazing how much head control he has while he does his exercises with Megan, his therapist. I am learning so much from his therapist and it's truly amazing how your body works and thinks. Just by doing these simple arms exercises on a physioball will help build muscles in his shoulders, which in turn will help with his head control. I actually look forward to his PT appts. His eval came back from his OT, occupational therapy eval, and he's to start weekly OT at Akron Children's hospital. One of his nurses came out today and weighed the trio. Parker is coming in at almost 24 lbs! Mason is weighing 15 lbs 9 oz. I think he's lost a little. Chase had a big weight gain and is coming in at 13 lbs 14 ounces. I worry about such a big weight gain and hope it's not water retention in his belly. We're keeping an eye on Mr. Chase. As for Miss Michela, she's sleeping quitely. It's the ONLY time that girl is quiet. I wish I had half her energy! Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday tomorrow. We're spending it with Michael's family and praying for no rain... Oh a funny comment from Michela's teachers: Jewell Cardwell, reporter for Akron Beacon Journal, had sent Michela a strawberry shortcake manners DVD. Michela LOVES this DVD and has to watch it at least once a day. Apparently, she's taking what she has learned to school. Michela is telling the other kiddos in the class not to chew with their mouthes open and to keep their elbows off the table. If only these manners would transfer to home!

It's Tuesday afternoon and we just got back from Cinci. It's been pretty busy over the last week and I apologize for not updating the site. My Uncle Pat had his surgery and this is what my Aunt Deb has reported: The surgery went great last Tuesday (approx. 2-1/2 hrs.). His neurosurgeon, Dr. Dane Donich, said there were no problems and that Pat actually woke up in the operating room after the surgery! He said the spinal passage way was totally open for the spinal cord to flow freely and that all the nerves were totally unpinched. I don't know how much you may or may not have known before the surgery. But Pat's spinal cord was so pinched by his cervical discs (they called the condition cervical spondylosis) that on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being paralyzed, Pat was an 8. He had lost 50% of his upper body strength and the neurologist originally thought (in March) that he might have had Lou Gehrig's Disease. So, we have a LOT to be thankful for that he's ok today!!!! The incision is 7" long at the back of his neck. They only shaved about 1/2" of hair (not as bad as we thought). The scarring will be minimal. The doctor scraped all the calcium deposits and bone spurs that were located on (4) cervical discs C-1/2 through C-6/7. He then fused them with Pat's own bone material (I cannot for the life of me get an answer of the source - not the hip or anywhere visual - very frustrating). Then they put 8 metallic pins in the 4 discs for reinforcement. Immediately after the surgery, they put a neck brace on Pat which he has to wear 24/7. He can take it off occasionally and only if he is sitting in his recliner (and to shower, of course). The pain was pretty intense in the hospital and they had him on morphine but once he left the hospital, they put him on percocet. But that made him sick so he's trying vicodine and that seems to be doing the trick for now. He's really having a difficult time; very hard time. So your prayers would really be appreciated. Also, your phone calls and cards really seem to cheer him. I'm with him at all times; I never leave him so if you want to call - that's ok. If I can't come to the phone, just leave a message and I'll get back to you. ok? The thing that's making it so difficult is that along with the pain is the fact that he cannot lay flat. So our recliner is his best friend for now. He totally resides in that chair. He will walk around the halls now and then; come to the kitchen table to eat; he needs help with all that he does; he cannot turn his head up or down, right or left. So it's hard for him to talk to people for a long time unless you're right in front of him. He cannot go back to work or drive for approx. 4-7 wks (?) depending on how things go. I'm taking him to the doctor on Monday for a checkup. *this is what Aunt Deb had written to us today* If you don't know my Uncle Pat he is the nicest and craziest person you'll ever meet. Having to sit still is probably killing him so your prayers for a speedy recovery are greatly appreciated! Now for Michael, he is off work until his surgery. They have scheduled it for July 6th. He's happy-the doc said his knee will be 100% 6 months after surgery. Yes-he's only happy because it will be in working order for snowboarding! We left for Cinci on Friday and on Saturday went to the Liver Transplant Picnic through Cinci Children's Hospital. We met some really nice families, but didn't have a lot of time to visit with a busy 4 year old wanting to ride all the rides. Michela rode some of the rides twice and wanted to keep going on the roller coaster. SHE HAS NO FEAR! On Monday we met with the transplant team. Chase is on average gaining 1/2 ounce a day with the NG tube-compared to 1/2 ounce a month off the tube. They're hoping he continues to gain weight at this rate. Michael spoke with the docs and asked the the testing be done to see if he is a donor match if needed. They prefer not to do live donor transplant, but will do it if needed. This is just a back up plan and we have no immediate plan to do the live donor transplant. They are surprised a liver has not come through as of yet and are hoping with Chase's new weight gain-it will give us a bigger range of livers. We then met with the anesthesiologist to prepare Chase for the tranplant. He went into greater detail in what to expect when we get the call. They have a special team of anesthesiologists that specialize and work with the liver transplant team. Chase will be put onto a breathing machine and sedated for aboout a day after his surgery. They will then take him off the feeding tube and slowly take him off the sedating medications. Michael and I then went to the Rondal McDonald house to visit and take a tour. VERY IMPRESSED with the staff and set up of the house. They have 48 rooms for out of town families. The only issue is that the house (fire code) says that we can only have 4 people in the room. We do not have a family of 4. I am not sure if the room will work for us. I am starting to get more nervous about the whole hospitalization and post-op with all the kiddos. Knowing us-we'll get a call for the transplant while Michael is having his surgery! As for Mr. Mason-he got his helmet too. He's supposed to wear it 24/7. He looks so darn cute! I'll try and take a picture and post them. Hopefully, this will help re-shape his head and help with strengthen his muscles. I'll also try and post some pictures of the transplant picnic. A couple of Chase's nurses from here in Akron came out to the picnic. That was a wonderful surprise! I tell ya-the nurses over at Dr. Collin's office at Akron Children's are wonderful! Chase has become their own little stud-muffin (and he knows it).

Being a Dad to me is not just about having kids. It's about family and the bond that I share with my wife, Jodi, and our four kids Michela, Parker, Mason and Chase. For me the journey has not been easy. Fatherhood has been a hard and long road for the past four and half years. Marriage has been great with a few ups and downs, but I guess that's to be expected considering what Jodi and I have been through. God has given me a beautiful wife that has been there for me since the day we met. An honest, caring and dedicated woman who considers others before thinking of herself. I could not have asked for anything better. Four kids who have had to battle life in some way or another. Preemies that have had to deal with lung problems (Michela), Cerebral Palsy (Mason) and liver disease (Chase). Yet I have the happiest kids in the world. People say "wow what a hard life you must have" and "It must be difficult to raise kids with problems". Truthfully, I don't look at it like that; this is my life not matter how hard, how tiring, or how painful it can be. The ups and downs are everyday occurrences that I have become immune to. You ask me what the most difficult part of my life is, the one thing I think about every minute; the questions I ask myself everyday. Will me son Chase ever get a liver? Will he be here to celebrate his second birthday? How long can he live without a liver? Will Mason ever walk? Will he be able to physically tell me he loves me? Could you imagine asking yourself these questions day in and day out? That is my life, as happy as I look on the outside this is what I go through everyday. Yep, it's no easy, but it's my job, it's what I vowed to do when Jodi and I decided to have kids. Honestly I would not trade my life for the world. Despite all this fatherhood is the best feeling I have ever felt, it starts on the outside and runs deep into your soul. At the end of the day when my daughter gives me a kiss, my sons laugh at me for no reason and my wife tells me she loves me; that's what living is all about. That's what fatherhood is to me. - Michael

It's Wednesday morning about 6:30 a.m. and the boys are still sleeping. Michela stayed the night with her grandma Bruna and Michael is at work. The house is quiet, but I know this isn't going to last long. I am trying to get me emails answered and take advantage of the quiet time. Again, it's been an eventful last few days. This past weekend there was a fundraiser for the Chase Del Ferraro Fund. The Blue Knights FOP (bunch of retired police officers and their wives) had a Motorcycle Poker Run in Barberton. Michael, his mom and I went out to volunteer at one of the tables. My sisters and mom watched the kiddos for us. It was so much fun watching everyone come in on their Harleys and other bikes. I was a little nervous to go to this knowing by the time we left Michael would want a motorcylce -and I was right. The weird thing is so do I! There were so many different type of great people coming on on their bikes riding the Poker run. Everyone was soooo nice! Thank you so much to the Blue Knights for doing this for our little boy. Also thank you to Winks restaurant in Barberton. They served us breakfast and food throughout the day and gave some of their proceeds to Chase's fund. What made this even more special is the family that was running the Poker run recently had a kidney transplant. Lynn (wife of one of the officers) had a kidney transplant this past month and is doing very well. We'll continue to keep Lynn and her family in our prayers. After the Poker Run we went to my cousin's high school graduation. It was nice seeing family and relaxing a little. Then yesterday, the boys had tons of doc appts. Help me Grow came out to weigh the boys. Chase gained 7 ounces! He's now weighing in at 12 lbs 13 ounces. Parker is at 23 pounds and Mason is at 15 pounds 13 ounces. After the home visit it was off to the docs office for their yearly check up and shots. It was two hours of dealing with very tired and cranky kiddos. They all three got their shots and are handling them well. The only down fall is that Chase is being taken off the transplant list for 3 weeks. The chicken pox vaccine is a live one and because of this he can not have the transplant for a period after his shots. Thank God Michael's mom went with me to the appt. I needed an extra pair of hands to help with the kiddos. After the doc appt it was off to Mason's physical therapy. He got an A+ in today's class. Megan, the PT, said she can tell some improvement in his neck muscles and trunk. I couldn't stop smiling. I was so happy to hear "there's improvment". We were given a new exercise to do with him this week to strengthen his neck muscles. She also tried this new thing with Mason called kinesio taping. Kinesio Taping is based on the science of Kinesiology. The taping method and tape allow the body and muscles to move while assisting rehabilitation. The method involves applying a specialized tape on Mason's back to reduce muscle fatigue and support muscles in movement. This non-restrictive type of taping allows full range of motion. The way she explained it is that this tape will "remind" Mason to use his trunk muscles. After getting home from all the appts. Michael and I landscaped and did some work outside. We're trying to get the house together to put up for sale by the end of the month. I can barely move this morning. Muscles are hurting I didn't even realize I had! While we were outside we had noticed a bunch of holes in our siding. Last week we had a REALLY BAD hail storm. The hail was the size of golf balls and bigger. Carter Lumber came out to inspect our roof and siding. The back siding was cracked in multiple places and we had some damage to the roof. We need to get it fixed before selling. I also had to have a claim on my wonderful mini van. I have dents all over the front and top of the van. From what my sis said she has appx. 30 dents all over her car. This hail storm was really bad-the worst I had ever seen. Michela and I went out after the storm and froze some of the bigger hail to show Grandpa Terry. When we were walking around the back yard we realized the hail had killed a bird and it was floating in her swimming pool. We had to say good-bye to bird as it went off to heaven. Well, I hear Parker crying. He was taken off formula so today he is getting the big boy whole milk. Hopefully, the transition will go well.

Last week, while getting my hair done, my "beauty guy" told me about an article that was in the Akron Beacon Journal. Apparently, there was a game show about organ donation. There would be one lady "Lisa" that wanted to donate her kidney. Then there were three contestants that would fight for this organ. I was SOOOO upset after hearing about this game show. I could not believe how unethical this was to make such a joke out of organ donation. I then went on this morning to find this article to show Michael. I found that the whole thing was a hoax to get awareness out about organ donation. This it the article I found this morning: Kidney Donation Game Show A Hoax Idea Was to Gain Attention Posted 6/2/07 From AP: Dutch television show in which a terminally ill woman would supposedly donate her kidney to one of three contestants was revealed as a hoax Friday. At the last moment, presenter Patrick Lodiers of the Big Donor Show said the woman known as "Lisa" was an actress, not actually dying of a brain tumor as claimed. The entire exercise was intended to pressure the government into reforming its organ donation laws and raise public awareness of the need for organs, he said. The three prospective recipients were real patients in need of transplants and had been in on the hoax, the show said. The program concept had led to widespread criticism for being tasteless and unethical. But Lodiers said that it was "reality that was shocking" because around 200 people die annually in the Netherlands while waiting for a kidney, and the average waiting time is more than four years � more than in other European countries. "I thought it was brilliant, really," said Caroline Klingers, a kidney patient who was watching the show at the Kidney Patients Organization headquarters in Bussum, Netherlands. "I know these transplant doctors, and I thought they'll never go and actually do it. But it's good for the publicity and there are no losers." The Netherlands' doctors association had called on members not to participate in the program, and questioned its authenticity. "Given the large medical, psychological, and legal uncertainties around this case, the (association) considers the chance extremely small that it will ever come to an organ transplant," it said. The show was produced by Endemol, which created Big Brother in 1999. Another show that is raising awareness about Organ Donation is a soap opera, One Life to Live. They have one of their actors going through a liver transplant right now. They even have this actor as yellow as you can make her. I then went on their website and they have a link to organ donation awareness. It's about time more people are looking at this as a serious issue. Oh and thank you for Grandpa Ed-he recently had his drivers license changed to be an organ donor! Yeah Papa!

It's Monday morning and I could not find Chase! I started freaking out a little and realized he had scooted himself behind our end table and was playing with his NG tube. He knows he's small and can fit anywhere. Yesterday we took Mason to see his neurologist, Dr. McBride, at Akron Children's hospital. It was discussed starting him on the baclofen. We both agreed to give him a month in his physical therapy so the therapists would get a good idea of his baseline. After a month we're going to start him on the medication (July). This medication is a muscle relaxer and will help with his tight tone in his hands and a little bit in his legs. The only thing we're nervous about is his head and trunk. We have to make sure that this medication doesn't make him weaker in those areas. We're starting with a low dose and slowly going up. Michael and I both felt comfortable with this plan. He will also be having an MRI done to follow up from the NICU. The MRI will give us a better understanding of the damage that took place from his brain bleed. Mason has also officially been diagnoses with Cerebral Palsy. He will be carrying the diagnosis of Spastic quadriplegia ("quad" means four) - spastic movements in all four limbs (arms and legs).

It's Monday morning and it was a WONDERFUL weekend! Our boys turned 1! The party was a complete success and NO RAIN! The boys are super tired along with their Mommy and Daddy. I have a horrible sinus infection. I think this is the first time I have been sick since having the boys. It's hard being sick taking care of the trio. I slept almost the whole day yesterday while Michael took care of everything. We don't know what we'd do without him. We're still in awe that the first year with the trio is over. We talked about everything that has happened over this past year and I swear we feel like we can be on Oprah, either that or candid camera. What's that saying...God only gives you what you can handle or what doesn't break you makes you stronger. Amen to that! We're looking forward to the next year and can't wait to see what it brings. Thank you to everyone that wished the boys happy birthday wishes. At the party we had put out a treasure memory box for the boys. Anyone at the party could put anything they wanted into the box. The box will be opened by the boys on their 18th birthday - year 2024. If anyone would like to add to it please let me know. We have one for Michela also. Michael has made a CD of todays top songs to put into the box. I am sure they will be considered oldies by then. Another couple put in some coins. On their 18 birthday they can open the box together and read all the notes and open the small gifts that people had added. Something that will be interesting and fun. Hope all is well and thank you to everyone that helped us make it through the triplets first year! Also a big thank you to family and friends that came in from out of town for the party! That really meant a lot that you were able to share such a special day with us.

It's Friday morning and it's been another busy week. Busy, yet productive. Mason had his first physical therapy appt. on Tuesday and I felt very comfortable with the therapist. One thing I liked about her is that the whole session was strictly about Mason. She did not ask a whole lot about how I felt about his development or what I felt he needed help with during therapy. She did her assessment, then spoke with me about him. She formed her own opinion first. Mason was then taken to Yankee Bionics to get fitted for his helmet. Michael took him and said everything went well. His head and forehead are both uneven. We're hoping this helmet will work with the shaping along with helping the neck muscles. We'll get the helmet in two weeks and he'll have to wear it all the time, with bathing as an exception. This helmet costs $900! CRAZY! That boy was very tired by the time he got home. We then met our friends at the winery and had a wonderful time. Very relaxing after such a busy day. They came in from Georgia for the boys birthday party on Saturday. Then on Wednesday they watched Michela for us while we took Chase to have his NG placed. He screamed the whole time, but that was expected. We have had to keep socks on his hands to keep him from pulling the NG out. I then went into his bedroom this morning and he was able to get the socks off his hands and pull the tube out of his nose. We have had to also watch Parker. I found him tugging on Chase's NG tube yesterday. On Thursday we had a home visit from Akron Children Hospital's Palliative Care Team. Their mission is to improve the quality of life for children and families facing life-threatening illnesses. It focuses on early identification of care issues of pain and other problems that may arise during and after the transplant. A nurse and doc came out to the home and they were wonderful. The kiddos loved them both. One thing they set up was home delivery of our medications. What a help that will be! Well-tomorrow is the big day-the triplets will be 1! We are so excited-what a milestone. I made their cake last night and I think it turned out pretty good. Doing the "Three Little Pigs" theme. Made the icing look like mud with a fence and found three cute little pigs to put playing in the mud. I'll take some pics tomorrow and post them. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Sorry I haven't been able to return a lot of my emails-I have barely been on this week. After the party and this hectic week, I'll try and get back in the groove of things. Love ya! Jodi

Hope everyone had a nice weekend and Memorial Day. We had a joint garage sale with Michael's parents over the weekend. Went pretty well! We're trying to clean out the house a little bit for spring cleaning. I tell ya-garage sales are a lot of hard work and very tiring! This week is going to be very busy with the kiddos. Cinci transplant team had called and they were all in agreement about having a NG tube put into Chase. Nasogastric tube: A tube that is passed through the nose and down through the nasopharynx and esophagus into the stomach. Abbreviated NG tube. We are going to be feeding him with a pump throughout the night to add some nutrition. He will take feeds regularly during the day and NG the rest at night. We have to get some weight on him. They will be placing the tube on Wednesday at noon. Because Michael and I have experience with NG tubes they are not going to keep him over night for observation. Our daughter, Michela, had an NG tube for almost a year and a half. As for Mr. Mason, we're excited about his physical therapy appt. today. We're trying to get his occupational therapy set up also. After his PT appt. he will be getting shaped for a helmet. His head has an oblong shape due to him wanting to turn his head to the right so much. They helmet will hopefully help to reshape his head and help him from turning it to the right so much. Oh and Mason got his first tooth this weekend! YEAH! As for Mr. Parker. He is going through the whole separation anxiety phase. Everytime I or anyone for that matter leaves the room he screams! Not cries-SCREAMS. Then when ya pick him up he just laughs. The only bad thing is that when he cries he gets the other two crying along with him.

It's Wednesday morning and I am getting on real quick to update the site. We went to Cinci this past weekend. Chase has not gained any weight, actually has lost a little from Monday weigh in. I do not understand this, because he eats so much. They try to explain that the fat is not absorbing. He's not getting the nutrients he needs to gain weight. They started him on daily antibiotics until he gets the liver to help prevent the colongitis. They also suggested he get his chicken pox vaccine at one year instead of 15 months. The vaccine is a live vaccine and he can not get it after the transplant. He can only get dead vaccines. They took some blood work and we're waiting back for the results. Parker is doing well-getting up on all fours getting ready to crawl. The boys are still a little behind in their development, but will soon catch up. Mason continues to be a strong little man. He tries so hard to hold his head up straight and seems to be getting a little stronger. He starts physical therapy next week in Hudson. We are so excited about this next step. Mason continues to have issues with Apnea and we STILL do not have the results back from the tests. Getting a little frustrating. He's been having a lot more alarms for low heart rates. Michela is doing well. Says she has a new boyfriend - Dominic. He chases her on the playground - she tries to act upset about it, but we all know the whole "boys only chase you if they like you" routine. Jewell Cardwell, the reporter that wrote the story in the paper, sent Michela a couple pairs of Dora Pajamas. You think she got gold! She was so excited! Thank you so much Jewell. After Michela was cleaned up that night she made us take a picture to send to Jewell. It's been a hectic this last week or so. We're starting to get ready for the boys birthday on June 2nd. I can not wait! This party is so special to us and the kiddos. It's to celebrate such a hard year and to start off a new wonderful year for them. You only wonder what next year will bring and pray for the best.

Since the article in last Sunday's paper-I have been getting a lot of phone calls and emails asking many, many questions regarding myself and my family. I even got one phone call from a lady calling to suggest we take Chase to meet Ernest Angley. I just wanted to give a short little background of who and what Michael and I are all about for the people that do not know us. Hello-my name is Jodi Del Ferraro and I do believe in God. I do believe in miracles and I do go to church. I have been asked that a few times this past month. I know people mean well-that is why I am posting this to those that do not know us. Michael and I have a very strong faith and put our life and children in God's hands. We have been married almost 7 years now and have made it through some crazy, rough times. I am from Rootstown, Ohio and he's from Stow, Ohio (originally Long Island, New York). We met on-line and were engaged 7 months later. We are happily married and yes-he's a saint to put up with me. Our family is huge and and very close. They have been a great support. My maiden name is Jodi Carr, a lot shorter and much easier than Del Ferraro. I went to the University of Akron with a degree in Social Work and a certificate in sign language. I worked at Community Support Services as a mental health social worker for many years and worked under a great supervisor. I just never told her that so it wouldn't go to her head (just kiddin' Isatou). I miss everyone I worked with so much. Michael has been working with Cornerstone Medical for some time now and has made some great friends there too. We live in Firestone Park in too small of a house now and plan to put it up for sale here very soon. Our plan is to move to Stow. Our kids are our life, we're dedicated parents and we're confident in our abilities as parents. We appreciate everyone's prayers, support and friendship. We have also had so many people ask us why we are not donating our liver to Chase. We can not give him any part of our liver, because he is too small. Trust us-we would if we could. Another popular question is how long will he live without the transplant. This questions hurts me the most and I know a lot more people are just scared to ask it. Michael and I don't talk about it nor do we think about that as an outcome. We do not have an answer for you. To those of you that have written and shared your family stories with us - Thank you! It's nice to know how the kiddos are doing after their transplants. I hope I did not come across harsh in this posting. Sometimes I get upset and frustrated. This time right now in our life-is the hardest thing we have ever gone through. Trust me-I have been having more break downs than usual-but I need them to get strong again. Writing about this and my feelings helps me stay sane. Along with a good glass of wine.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SHAWN, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! Today is my nephew's second birthday! We love ya sweetie! It's Tuesday morning and it's gorgeous outside. The boys are still sleeping and it's almost 8:00 a.m I love it! We took them for a long walk and must have worn them out last night. Michela just left for pre-school. I love the days when she is home with me, but I also love the days that she has school. It's a chance to get somewhat caught up on errands and housework. I tell ya, I have been called on the phone, written emails to and had parentshack postings from people I have never met or people I haven't talked to in a long time. They have read the article and gotten in touch with us. I was so excited to see the people that have written private and public commments on the parentshack. Yes, I do remember the women with the "train' of triplets and would love to get more information on the group. We heard from someone we hadn't seen for a couple years that we played softball with. I miss playing ball! I would love to get in touch with everyone so if you could leave your email addys for us that would be great. When you do postings-I can not see your address, but when you ask to be notified when pictures are added to the site-I can get your email addy that way. Please feel free to email me at JodiDelF@sbcglobal.net or Michael at MchlDelf@sbcglobal.net. Hope everyone is doing well. Oh the updated weights on the babies are great! Parker is at 22 lbs. Mason is at 15 lbs 13.5 ounces. Chase is at 12 lbs 7.5 ounces. Michela is 35 lbs. We had to take her to the doc yesterday for a bad cough. We get nervous with her prior diagnosis of BPD and Asthma, but her lungs were clear. All the prayers are working and Chase is gaining some weight-slowly-but I am NOT complaining! Hope all is well and again-thank you so much for everyone's support! We're going to Cinci this weekend for follow up with the tranpslant team-I pray everytime we're there that a liver becomes available. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

This weekend was absolutely wonderful. Yesterday morning we woke up early and got the kiddos ready to head off to the Aeros stadium for the Walk America March of Dimes walk. We had team pictures taken prior to walking (team Born to be Wild). We then began walking around 9:30 p.m. Michela looked absolutely adorable! It was such an emotional day. There were so many children walking with their teams and supporters. I pushed my sister, Nikki, in a wheelchair throughout the walk. She's still in boot cast after her surgery. I was a horrible driver and almost lost her a couple times hitting bumps with the wheelchair! After the walk we went to Michela's NICU reunion. We met some great people. I met one wonderful mother during all the festivities. She came up to introduce herself and asked when my boys were born. After talking with her she had told me she had triplets only a few months before I delivered mine, but her one daughter passed away 4 days later. I will never forget her and what she had said. She mentioned how people come up to her and comment about her twins, but in her heart she knows they are triplets. I could not imagine what she has gone through. I know my kiddos have so many medical issues, but they are here with us. I thank God every day for them. During the reunion they had given out balloons to the NICU graduate kiddos. Pink for the girlies, blue for the boys and white for the babies that did not make it that year. I had found a picture that we had taken of Michela's friend that Michela was in the NICU with that had died. She passed away after being discharged from the hospital in 2003. We tied her picture to a white balloon and let it go with Michela's balloon. It was such a special moment. After the ballon ceremony all the NICU grads got together to have their pictures taken. What a trip getting all these 5 year olds together for a group picture. Surprisingly enough-it went very well. You could tell in so many of the parent's faces how proud they were of their kiddo. We were exhausted by the time we got home Saturday afternoon. Then this morning I woke up to Michela sitting on my stomach screaming Happy Mother's Day. The first thing I did was get the Akron Beacon Journal and read the article that was posted about the kiddos http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/17220275.htm I was SHOCKED to see us front page. We totally did not expect front page! Thank you Jewell Cardwell. She said some wonderful things about the kids and the photographer took some amazing pictures of Chase. I LOVED the article and Michela was so proud to see herself in the paper, yes she was described as a hurricane (so fitting). Michael then gave me a shadow box of all the kids pictures. Ofcourse, I cried, once again. If you know me at all-I am just a little sensitive. I get it from my Gramps! This weekend has been absolutely wonderful...thank you to everyone that has written such special things in our parentshack (both the private and public comments). I hope everyone has had a wonderful Mother's Day! Love ya! Jodi

	Get your own free family website - Send free video e-cards - Site owner log in