Made me cry

Real Quick (it seems that's always my blog title, real quick).

Quinn just turned one last week! Wow, where does the time go? Both kids are sick, (I think a ton of kids have this yucky summer cold or thing going around).

I'm trying to pack to get ready to go to Chicago for 3 days. I'm attending the Leadership Academy for The Women Council of Realtors, as I'm going to be the President of my Marin County Chapter in 2010. (Like I don't have enough on my plate!!!)

Quinn has qualified for Regional Center and Early Intervention (as he's so delayed -poo on you Jean (read earlier post). Just had the PT come give an evaluation (used to be K's PT) and she said she thinks it's sensory issues also. We'll see. sigh.....

But here are 2 amazing pieces of news:

1. Kaitlyn is potty trained! wahooooo! It seemed we'd never get there. NEVER. All of a sudden (as everyone said it would) she jsut got it. After 2 days of accidents (the last one inside REI in Corte Madera, sorry REI store!) we've gone 3 weeks with no accidents (except a minor incident at the park for Quinn's birthday party last weekend). AND we are even dry at night. So Kaitlyn loves wearing her new big girl underwear (she loved them before, but never minded peeing/pooping in them), but finally now she gets it! I'm so proud of her!!

2. I've found a donor for my milk. And, this is the reason for my blog post title. Get your tissues ready. I was hoping that I could donate my milk to my good friend in Los Angeles who is desperately trying to find a baby to adopt. She's been through 5 IVF's and so wants to be a mom and will be the best mom ever. She's been here for me supporting me though so much and I couldn't' think of a better place for my milk. BUT at this point, my oldest milk is from the beginning of January, so I started feeling that I should find another home for it.

I had put out a post on the Yahoo Milk Share site months ago, and I had a TON of moms interested in my 2,500 ounces. But I told them I was holding it for my friend.

I think many of you know that I belong to a local Feeding Tube Support group. Even though my daughter no longer h as a feeding tube, I continue to go to monthly meetings to be with some of my now closest friends as well as support new moms who join the group.

We had a new member join a few months back who emailed me. I suggested that she try breast milk for her daughter, as her story sounded hauntingly familiar to mine. A micro preemie. Gtube fed, unexplained vomiting and not getting any better.

Well months later, she finally come to the meeting in person last month. She was at her wits end. The docs weren't helping much and told her under no uncertain terms should she use breast milk (it's not pasteurized, etc).

Well, I suggested (saying that I'm not a doctor) that it worked for me and I got donated milk from women I knew as well as complete strangers all of the country and it was the only thing that allowed Kaitlyn to gain weight.

She tried my milk this week. When she emailed me the next day after her small trial tat it was working. I got some more milk to her and she did an over night trial. She wrote back saying it was the first nighttime feed she'd ever had without vomiting!!!!

Her email to me:

"Update... Sis really doing so much better since we started the breastmilk!!! She hasn't thrown up at all at night so far, and only twice during the day, and that was on formula. I cannot thank you enough for introducing hope to me at a time I felt like giving up."

Then today again I was in tears as I read her email to me:

"Yes, it is definitely going to a good cause. You don't know (or maybe you do!) how much happier I've been this week, to see "S" happier, and not feel the constant fear of her vomit coming...

Liz, I don't know how to thank you for all this... You have opened my eyes to new hope, A feeling I'd forgotten about. I'm feeling more optimistic, and am so much more able to cope and function since we started the milk and her vomiting is so much better."

Anyways, I'm so happy my efforts at the pump have come back to help someone that needed help like I did. This is for all the moms who so graciously donated their milk to my daughter in my extreme time of need!

Thank you!

(And if you are a local SF or Marin mom, she's going to need more than my 2,500 ounces of milk so if you have milk to donate, please let me know!!)

Our Family Vacation in Chautauqua

Here is a link to our family vacation pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizard_mccarthy/?saved=1

Happy 1st Birthday little man!

I Can't believe that today is Quinn's 1st birthday???
It seems like just yesterday that I was in the hospital for preterm labor for 2 weeks and my little man came on July 21st, 6 weeks early.

Where does the time go?

In that both kids are sick and Brian is working today, we didn't have much of a "celebration" but I've got a cake on order for tomorrow (Yeah, Free cake for 1st birthday's at Safeway).

It's 10pm, I still need to have dinner!

Just wanted to share the news that my little man is 1 year old today!
How fast does time fly. Wowee!

PS, here are a few pictures that I had taken a few months ago of my precious children! Enjoy!

Happy 1st birthday little man! I love you!

Kaitlyn HATES being next to her brother...so we weren't able to get any shots of just the two of them. and only got 2 decent ones of the three of us!

These pictures were taken by a friend of mine, she does great work if you are looking for a Bay Area Photographer! She'll come to you! She puts your kids at ease (as she's a mom too!)

Sharon Neves Photography

www.smnphoto.com

925-989-1157

Call her and let her know you heard of her via my blog! (she didnt' ask to be on my blog, by the way!)

Corn on the cob!!

I can honestly say I NEVER thought I'd see my little g-tube fed vomiter voraciously eat 2 1/2 ears of corn! After the first, she couldn't get enough and wanted another one.

I took a video to capture the moment. Hopefully I can get around to processing the video. It's AMAZING!!

WOW!!!!

Sorry for the absence from blogging, just returned from a 10 day trip to Western New York with the in laws and aunt/uncle/cousins! We had a wonderful time and got to see Sesame Street Live!

Just trying to get caught up, will promise to post pictures and more soon!

Liz