tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47709432696592932192024-02-02T00:12:04.331-08:00The Little Lamb and the Strong LionThe story of a life-saving giftThe Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-1744294527679606712013-03-12T09:09:00.002-07:002013-03-12T09:09:57.490-07:00Meeting Heart Dada<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39mF_OS0aaZU6vKiiKeBvtv5RSLjmnFcC51n72-ziHdRChwJ-ImOw84eZ6qJGNUBh1ScpqZhNvDDAppGFKCpaKyXQtR_KX4Rfdam1TKSs15TPPAZPEko6SnmI8dsacio7-k9ptCunH5xw/s1600/Rose+Bowl-Cali+Trip+079.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39mF_OS0aaZU6vKiiKeBvtv5RSLjmnFcC51n72-ziHdRChwJ-ImOw84eZ6qJGNUBh1ScpqZhNvDDAppGFKCpaKyXQtR_KX4Rfdam1TKSs15TPPAZPEko6SnmI8dsacio7-k9ptCunH5xw/s320/Rose+Bowl-Cali+Trip+079.JPG" /></a><a 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I am so sad that it has taken me this long to post. I think facebook has taken away some of the need to post, but I love having this to look back on. On December 31, 2012, we were able to do one of the most special things anyone could do. We met the name that saved my son's life, the man who gave us the give of the last 3 years and many more to come. We met Troy, Landen's donor dad.
In December, I told Landen that we were going to met Claire's dad. He thought about it for a moment and said, "Heart Dada." I was surprised he put it together. He knows that Claire gave him his heart. If you ask him what Claire gave him, he will usually lift up his shirt, point to his scare, and say "heart." He has a poster of Claire and her older brother Carson on his wall in his room, just above his bed. Landen wanted to see a picture of "Heart Dada," so I showed him his facebook profile.
Throughout the rest of the month, Landen only 2 1/2 at the time never stopped talking about "Heart Dada." On Christmas Eve, since Landen had never met Santa Clause and the idea of him sitting on a Mall Santa Clause's lap about gives me a panic attack, my friend let me borrow her husband's costume and Joe dressed up after work. When "Santa" knocked on the door. I told Landen someone special was at the door. He got a huge smile on his face and said "Heart Dada." I told him it wasn't Heart Dada, but it was someone else special. He started to cry. All he wanted was to see his Heart Dada. He still wasn't excited about Santa Clause, but at least I got a few pictures. Next year I think we are going to have to get another Santa because the kids were not fooled. It might be because Santa usually doesn't have braces.
As the date to meet Troy came closer, I was so afraid that I would just be an emotional mess. For those of you who know me I am very sensitive and cry very easily. I thought all I would do was cry. As the day finally came, the emotions turned to excitement. I was so excited to be able to meet Troy and tell him thank you. I was most excited about having Landen meet him. I was not sure what Landen would do. He is really not around other people much. We do not live near family and most of the people Landen sees are doctors, nurses, therapist, and phlebotomists. So, I wasn't sure how Landen would react.
On the morning of December 31st, we all got ready for the big day. Joe took Landen to get some pancakes because he is obsessed with pancakes. The other kids and I got things ready for Troy to come. We planned on meeting at 9am in the back lobby of our hotel. As I saw Troy come to the door of the lobby, I was a little emotional, but more excited. I was so excited to have him meet Landen. It was so great to see him. I cannot imagine how he felt. Was it as exciting for him? Or was it hard? I am not sure. I just cannot imagine what emotions he would have felt.
Landen came downstairs and ran right past me and right into Troy's arms. On a side note, Landen has never ran before. We have been working on his is therapy for months. He was not afraid at all. I really feel like he knows him. I know that might sound crazy, but I have never seen him so excited and calm. He usually doesn't ever leave my side.
Landen brought both Heart Dada and Heart Mama presents. He gave Heart Dada a statue of a Lion and a small lamb lying together. It is the same statue we have above our fireplace. He gave Heart Dada a present to give to Heart Mama when the time is right. He gave her 1/2 of a heart necklace that said "And the Lion fell in Love with the Lamb." My half says "And the Lion" with a lamb charm and her half says "With the Lamb" with a lion charm.
Troy had asked if he could bring a stethoscope to listen to Landen. His physician friend who was with him in the hospital when he had to make the decision to donate had given it to him. When he told me he wanted to listen I was so excited. We were planning on bringing our stethoscope, but I wasn't sure who to bring it up. I am so excited that he wanted to do this. He let Landen listen to his heart and then he was able to listen to Landen's heart. But, it wasn't Landen's heart he was listening to, it was his baby girl's heart. His baby girl, Claire, beats inside Landen. This baby girl keeps my baby boy alive each day. As he was listening to this beautiful heart beat, a smile came over his face. It was a priceless moment that I will never forget. I try to imagine how this felt to him, but I just cannot imagine it. Even months later it brings tears to my eyes.
After that Troy, Joe and I sat down and were able to talk about the accident, his decision, and "the lamb." We have discussed many these topics by letters and emails, but face-to-face we were able to put things together that we hadn't put together before. I remember the day we found out they found a match for Landen. I remember and to this day still feel the emotions associated with the news. We were so excited for our son. He would have a chance at life. We were no longer going to see him get worse. Days before they found a match, Landen's heart continued to get sick. The monitors consistently went off. He was missing heart beats. He was having "ventricular" heart beats. Later I found out that those are what would have killed him. His ecko was so bad the doctors did not even give us the results until one of the interns gave us the results by accident. The nurses later told us that no one wanted to be over Landen. We couldn't understand why because he was actually a really good baby. They told us they thought he would die on their shift. At the same time we were dealing with this, Troy was dealing with much worse. He had made the decision to donate Carson's organs the night before and now he had to make the decision for his baby girl. His wife was in a coma at the time, so it was all up to him. He not only had to make this decision, but he had to think about what his wife would want. Troy had stated beautifully in his first letter to us about his decision with his son Carson:
"regardless of all the hospital's modern medical technology or (his) own willingness to do anything, go anywhere or spend everything (he) had, he would die. The only question was what his legacy would be. Would people remember him as the tragic and sad victim of someone else's terrible choices or would they remember his as a happy little boy who brought a smile to everyone's face, as the superhero and Jedi Knight that he thought of himself as. It was not a easy decision but I came to realize that this was his chance, in death, to be the hero that , in life, he knew himself to be."
As we sat there and spoke we were able to here more details about what it was like for him waiting for the match. It took them a long time to place Claire's organs, namely the heart. Troy was not sure why it took so long and why do many tests were ordered. The reason it had taken so long was it had to get all the way to us. Because Claire's heart had been resuscitated it was considered "high risk." Many transplant centers prefer to not do high risk transplants, our hospital included. But, to us, it had to be "high risk" or it would not have made it to Landen. I remember hearing that 17 people higher on the list than us (in different regions) had said no. The reason for this is this was Landen's PERFECT heart. Although it was high risk and incompatible, this was Landen's PERFECT heart.
When asked about the stuffed lamb that Troy sent with the heart, he said it was just sitting in her bed as they were taking her to surgery and the idea to send it just popped into his head. He talked to the donation coordinator and they said they haven't heard of anyone sending anything and didn't know if that would be okay. On a side note, at this time, they called our hospital to ask us if it was okay for them to send a gift and would we accept it. Troy said that he thought they were just telling him that they would take it, but he didn't have much hope of it actually making it to us. This beautiful and thoughtful gift meant so much to us. It arrive at the same time at the heart. It was about 3am and Landen had been in surgery for 3 hours already and had at least 3 more hours of surgery. When we saw the gift tears came down our faces. How could he think about us in the middle of everything he was going through? We knew that our donor's family was an amazing family. We ran upstairs and got Landen's matching Lion that had been in his bed since the day he was born. We put the stuffed lamb inside the arms of the Landen's stuffed lion and waited for the news that the new heart, Claire's heart, was beating inside our son. I can still remember the emotion that happened that night. This little stuffed lamb made the idea of someone else's sacrifice so real. We knew that as we were hoping for a new life for our son, someone else would be saying good-bye to theirs. This was a horrible feeling, but we prayed each day for our son, but also for the family that would be giving our son this gift.
After our talk, it was time to say good-bye to him. Landen gave him another hug and so did Joe and I. It was a great experience meeting Troy. I was so surprised that I did not cry through the meeting. I think the excitement helped. But after Troy walked through the door and got in his car, the emotions started to come. That day and the nights followed were very emotional. I just cannot imagine the pain of his loss. I hoped that he knew and continues to know how much his family means to us. I worried that it did not turn out how he had expected. But, I hoped that he enjoyed the meeting as much as we did.
The last few months Landen continues to talk about Heart Dada. WE have a puzzle of the United States that he loved to do. He calls it "Heart Dada Puzzle" because soon as he finishes it he wants to know where Heart Dada lives. I point to Iowa and he says "Oh, Iowa." We do this puzzle almost every day. He also carried around a picture of him and Heart Dada and shows everyone he knows. I am so excited that we were given this opportunity to meet someone so special. We look forward to meeting again someday.The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-8735093355172903392012-08-30T08:04:00.002-07:002012-09-10T20:39:28.965-07:00Celebrate Life MemorialI was asked to speak at the Celebrate Life Memorial last weekend. I was so nervous going into the event, because it would be the most people I have ever spoken in front of and it being such an emotional topic. At this event they would be unveiling the new names that have been engraven on the monument. These are people who have donated an organ or given years worth of blood. These are the people, who saved my baby boys life, amoung many others that they have saved. I am so grateful for them, but how do I express that. How do you say thank you for such a gift. This is the speech I came up with. It was not perfect, but I just hope it delivered the message. The message of gratitude and also the miracle that can come from tragedy.
Copy and paste this link to watch the video.
http://youtu.be/VmmNRG0-YKk
The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-15192576529581409302012-07-10T16:24:00.003-07:002012-07-10T16:24:59.229-07:00"Oncology"Well, this has been a rather long last couple of days. We had transplant clinic on Thursday and I was expecting a great clinic visit. Landen looks and acts great. When our cardiologist came in to see him she said she did not know what to think. I was very confused...he looks great. She said heart wise he is great, but his spleen and liver feel enlarged. She decided it would be best to get an ultrasound to see how large the spleen is. His lungs also sounded crackly. I mentioned that when he takes big drinks of water he usually chokes and vomits. She decided it would be a good idea to do a swallow study.
On Friday, I took Landen to do the ultrasound on his abdomen. They did find both his spleen and liver enlarged. At 5pm that night I got a call from transplant with the results, however, imaging had been trying to get a hold of me because they needed to do a few more pictures to make sure of something. Of course, this was Friday at 5pm, so that means I will have to wait through the weekend.
On Monday, we went back to do another ultrasound. Come to find out they though they had seen an enlarged lymphnode, but it turned out to be his spleen. A normal spleen his age should be about 7cm, but his was 9.5cm. That evening I talked to the transplant team and they said that they wanted to consult with genetics and oncology about the results. The words "consulting with oncology" is not something no one ever wants to hear.
On Tuesday, we had the swallow study scheduled and transplant wanted us to stop by on our way out. A couple of my transplant moms who are staying in the hospital with their sweet little kids were having lunch in the cafeteria so they told me to stop by if I had a minute. I thought I would say "hi" as I was waiting for our transplant team. As we were talking, Dr. E (our cardiologist) and Emily came to the cafeteria to catch up with me. They sat down and asked if it was ok to talk in front of my other friends. I told them of course, I would tell them anyhow. I love Dr. E and Emily...they are amazing. Anyhow, Dr. E said that it could be one of two things...an infection he is fighting off or cancer. She made an appointment for us to meet with oncology that afternoon.
Since Landen got the Ebstein Bar Virus (EBV), or mono, last November, he is at risk for PTLD which is basically cancer. So, when Dr. E mentioned the chance of cancer I thought this was most-likely what she was thinking.
So, Landen, myself and my friend Shauntelle headed up to oncology to see what they thought. After doing a physical, answering questions, and doing some blood work, we were able to meet with the Dr. The appointment seemed to go well. He thought Landen looked very good and that most patients with cancer looked sick. I asked the Dr. about PTLD and he mentioned that they were looking for Leukemia because of his syndrome and enlarged spleen and low white blood count. I was able to leave the appointment feeling a lot better. We will continue to be monitored by oncology through transplant. Hopefully his enlarged spleen will resolve itself and we wont have to see on oncologist again.
I am grateful for our amazing doctors and the rest of the transplant team for doing there best to take care of our little lion. I am also grateful for prayers and the peace and comfort we can receive through them.The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-49828881250187149222012-06-21T14:47:00.000-07:002012-06-21T14:47:31.360-07:00Annual Heart PresentAs many of you know when we received Landen's life-saving gift two years ago on Mother's Day, our donor family also sent another gift, a stuffed lamb. Our donor family's dad, Troy, did not know at the time that Landen's middle name was Lion and that he from birth had a stuffed lion in his bed. He said he saw the stuffed lamb in his little girl's bed and the thought came to his mind to send it along with the other most precious gift, a new heart for our son. This gift has given us comfort both on the day we received it and everyday since.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTx9A-2mBXo0XB1oxCxXBu8ELfnOv1awlKYg1zZD0aSEsQEVNMARmfF6aSDGxFfi2pfElShsHoN5NNMT7zUyacFXjFPfAsuTRMFZgA0R8g3Uqjez50SMmP_E8LvOlTabzgm7U1CceAbuhb/s1600/Claire+and+Eva%2527s+Lamb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTx9A-2mBXo0XB1oxCxXBu8ELfnOv1awlKYg1zZD0aSEsQEVNMARmfF6aSDGxFfi2pfElShsHoN5NNMT7zUyacFXjFPfAsuTRMFZgA0R8g3Uqjez50SMmP_E8LvOlTabzgm7U1CceAbuhb/s400/Claire+and+Eva%2527s+Lamb.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrRRVF_niS3Ifm1Afg-nqQPswXie9ZBG6iVJ_vhkKooCsEnIojkZfGobZPLptYnXt78QmIKmPBxCx1yIY6ncHrAgY5LjZSlP1D9wAhag1wqTFN_vGGRWbUFrZpxf0Kfj6YqowOXviAEbu/s1600/IMG_0895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrRRVF_niS3Ifm1Afg-nqQPswXie9ZBG6iVJ_vhkKooCsEnIojkZfGobZPLptYnXt78QmIKmPBxCx1yIY6ncHrAgY5LjZSlP1D9wAhag1wqTFN_vGGRWbUFrZpxf0Kfj6YqowOXviAEbu/s400/IMG_0895.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-RSs0O7Bysiv7u2PWWWvfZ6G4Bkl8ikNTwc0BwJ_cT0vrDKQVgotn8-zn1CSIp2XVMolwVlyvLKzahl05tWYsVxLdN34FuwF0HH1BWcKy930AceFZUnM_0drtI8EEPmjaFOws8yFJ5np/s1600/Carson.Claire.Chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-RSs0O7Bysiv7u2PWWWvfZ6G4Bkl8ikNTwc0BwJ_cT0vrDKQVgotn8-zn1CSIp2XVMolwVlyvLKzahl05tWYsVxLdN34FuwF0HH1BWcKy930AceFZUnM_0drtI8EEPmjaFOws8yFJ5np/s400/Carson.Claire.Chair.jpg" /></a>
Our beautiful little donor was a 5 month old baby girl named Claire. Her and her 5 year old brother Carson passed away as a result of a car accident. Between these two amazing kids they were able to save 10 people. Troy said in his first letter to us, that his son, Carson, was able to be the superhero he always thought himself to be. These two beautiful kids are superheroes and we love them and their family dearly. We continue to have and will always have a picture of Claire and Carson and the lamb and the lion as a memory of this life-saving gift.
Each year on our heart anniversary, May 9th, the kids make a build-a-bear stuffed animal and give it to someone who is in need of comfort in memory of Claire and Carson. This year the kids made a bear for a baby in England. We had meet this family over the internet on our LEOPARD syndrome facebook page. There little boy, Owen, had the same heart condition as a result of LEOPARD syndrome. At 8 months old,Owen who was clinically well, had a sudden cardiac arrest at home. He was resuscitated but he had a downtime of 33 minutes and has suffered considerably. Owen was not suppose to live through the evening, but this amazingly strong little boy fought for 8 weeks. This story hit close to home because of the similarities between Owen and Landen. Also, Owen's birthday is the same day that Landen was given a second chance at life. Before his passing we sent both him and his older brother a build-a-bear. Owen's parents are amazing. They have been an example of strength for my husband and I. They enjoyed every moment they had with their strong little boy.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cWZ1_uZf4vskULiFuFrTeIaX4DM9foMrScRsHS5Nv14IDo9dhYjcE6HlahWv27Y1OQStF3UkSrF4w3kM8dI4wBHF-9how6kjRjauZrw_BbLhJvGEyDRur5Bz_kwF10j3MAuD3RcVysVM/s1600/Owen+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="120" width="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cWZ1_uZf4vskULiFuFrTeIaX4DM9foMrScRsHS5Nv14IDo9dhYjcE6HlahWv27Y1OQStF3UkSrF4w3kM8dI4wBHF-9how6kjRjauZrw_BbLhJvGEyDRur5Bz_kwF10j3MAuD3RcVysVM/s400/Owen+2.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8aLk-Cm7_A_XetaEF5IoIcwtaTiqLNemof9WYIk5y7M2HsNjfkAHXfaCoVchZLwY9AerupvFhORyiWKR-1u1JklUj0hXev6FQJCOLeaAtQBs4_MpuPY9HqwZzqpabP4aBCIRDtXR5Kqs/s1600/Owen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8aLk-Cm7_A_XetaEF5IoIcwtaTiqLNemof9WYIk5y7M2HsNjfkAHXfaCoVchZLwY9AerupvFhORyiWKR-1u1JklUj0hXev6FQJCOLeaAtQBs4_MpuPY9HqwZzqpabP4aBCIRDtXR5Kqs/s400/Owen.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Bm8Lw5Q5CUveSmweCIwM35e2oz_PSCpgnr2I5G1bPazmOJ719gK6xcq9m9Awv8kqs596bPcaCSrYAv2B7rtWBz3GQLG_Y4QgltXfTopyrShlnBaepe-69cMuDltjmntXQncNJDVzbJn7/s1600/Feb-April+2012+126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="224" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Bm8Lw5Q5CUveSmweCIwM35e2oz_PSCpgnr2I5G1bPazmOJ719gK6xcq9m9Awv8kqs596bPcaCSrYAv2B7rtWBz3GQLG_Y4QgltXfTopyrShlnBaepe-69cMuDltjmntXQncNJDVzbJn7/s400/Feb-April+2012+126.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY50MyQEDQVUuia3MPQwXwWSDz7Gx_uupuCDYvFgepa-Abn6xQblm0wVEMib4IK8srTuJulhl6zXrNVXxB0yscE4yDJFiWe2JHy4WznQFcTDekjnoP2LlYMt1836vFYgL1xKxkX5XzTG3-/s1600/Feb-April+2012+128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY50MyQEDQVUuia3MPQwXwWSDz7Gx_uupuCDYvFgepa-Abn6xQblm0wVEMib4IK8srTuJulhl6zXrNVXxB0yscE4yDJFiWe2JHy4WznQFcTDekjnoP2LlYMt1836vFYgL1xKxkX5XzTG3-/s400/Feb-April+2012+128.JPG" /></a>
I am so glad that Landen has came to our family for many reasons. One of the gifts we received since we had Landen was the opportunity to meet such amazing kids and their parents. The kids that I have had the opportunity to meet or at least hear about have unbeleiveable strength and courage. I think they should all have "LION" as their middle names because of their fighting spirit. Thank you both the DeJoode family for giving us these last 2 years with our son that we would never have had. And also thank you to the Zander and Anna Sen. We admire your strength and courage through your trials.The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-60711969287519271742012-02-26T08:29:00.003-08:002012-02-26T08:34:11.622-08:00Hotel on the Hill...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTzwruE9jj2RXTUWKB_MFgsfrpn4BfDu4InjE3L1l58iAbwV1452RWSL5u8omMRkgXsRVn0ICumwlXYoJjGDaBcUy6QyCZ3mx7A3dKzQLJV5g5ad_z9O-fJJTl5EQu8TrPl6h_9ZqS_C1/s1600/hospital+feb+2012.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 166px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTzwruE9jj2RXTUWKB_MFgsfrpn4BfDu4InjE3L1l58iAbwV1452RWSL5u8omMRkgXsRVn0ICumwlXYoJjGDaBcUy6QyCZ3mx7A3dKzQLJV5g5ad_z9O-fJJTl5EQu8TrPl6h_9ZqS_C1/s400/hospital+feb+2012.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713482422918401506" /></a><br />Landen had been sick for a few days...mainly fever, cough, and a high respiratory rate. So, Joe took him to a close hospital to get him suctioned. They, of course, did not like his respiratory rate so they wanted to admit him. We told them we would take him up to Primary's since they know him there and his transplant team is there. We took him to the ER and they admitted him on Friday night. He is doing well, he just needs some oxygen. We found out he has, besides Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV), he also has C-diff, an ear infection (tubes only last 1.5 months) and pneumonia. He is on a little oxygen and they are starting an antibiotic...He is doing well and hopefully not be too long of a stay. Please keep him and all the other kids there in your prayers.The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-9943368173071776112012-02-19T16:22:00.001-08:002012-02-19T16:38:43.796-08:00Family Pictures<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ik0gQ2hLzwR85_zflbZFScePpaEYXXddMWd44fUyZThKPZvAcVjT7Yl4wrzZ1DNdx0uV0CX8nzIux5C16eTJEMIVF65TTcWaxWJZGzeicANsSy_23DTYoGzF-ix9ZLcnr7r7YhwdzSVl/s1600/IMG_9232.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ik0gQ2hLzwR85_zflbZFScePpaEYXXddMWd44fUyZThKPZvAcVjT7Yl4wrzZ1DNdx0uV0CX8nzIux5C16eTJEMIVF65TTcWaxWJZGzeicANsSy_23DTYoGzF-ix9ZLcnr7r7YhwdzSVl/s400/IMG_9232.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711009247518650818" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUNzZRyoHkNtFYZcnhxPUeJn25BQZagatlSLZRNiyHtglOjKvFnJY5BgFkY1MwoGDsVmeHu30BlgJN33NdLdLF2JKNV5F9eDzwyj1fRE8KrjONU61uZaP69-Dm597Dvibc9T6zCOybzpM/s1600/bow1.jpg"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgME1SvGrEZI_TPwMH8hERZUJ1bNJplPGRGYPa7LGp8zu5b1yN3AkeSgPv2b3fsdzRyLwH9pde85jqvf6xO-IKf9B56yUbXVN9LB-WEyTdCAiWm_yfBbG-KzuWLlzToMKaeNSLrd7gH7mFS/s400/IMG_8915.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711007049334484658" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh826atHQZHv11BOTu1CZTDegrWjIcJHvCSxDE0Fj_YSClfTLyG4u-KRYmCMDiR3Ws1SLGBbbxNKG9MIrT07t67k6p4ewojQXx9P1KD_o7anIMK79wSNSdKxNZ2fNpE0Poi02-o3d11dsMp/s1600/1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh826atHQZHv11BOTu1CZTDegrWjIcJHvCSxDE0Fj_YSClfTLyG4u-KRYmCMDiR3Ws1SLGBbbxNKG9MIrT07t67k6p4ewojQXx9P1KD_o7anIMK79wSNSdKxNZ2fNpE0Poi02-o3d11dsMp/s400/1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711007037037054018" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezt3iO0Foy-HgioKbbmfwagrCY9nSrmWU3DQ03kboopmKiNWQhZRK66AFWYR3sR0SVBUXGKYUFfSJ62p8K6am-12IjsAcAaBV_66lyXHWbiLfhwYkvmwdVyOBkXfxadtoAi15O5ocP5cZ/s1600/IMG_8913.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezt3iO0Foy-HgioKbbmfwagrCY9nSrmWU3DQ03kboopmKiNWQhZRK66AFWYR3sR0SVBUXGKYUFfSJ62p8K6am-12IjsAcAaBV_66lyXHWbiLfhwYkvmwdVyOBkXfxadtoAi15O5ocP5cZ/s400/IMG_8913.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711007020628509378" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1Ukjyxwp1-7bYyP0zVXxupxd2aumXd-jSlssLF9OxhivtiKVKLG5_xnUdEfzh1i5NqIOC3TXLw7AcB19-AcgpV9gDZagHHpimEvfR4frQUbIKGIwI17B1BHTClSqOWSIMmdy-tQtw_mb/s1600/IMG_8918.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1Ukjyxwp1-7bYyP0zVXxupxd2aumXd-jSlssLF9OxhivtiKVKLG5_xnUdEfzh1i5NqIOC3TXLw7AcB19-AcgpV9gDZagHHpimEvfR4frQUbIKGIwI17B1BHTClSqOWSIMmdy-tQtw_mb/s400/IMG_8918.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711007012965049042" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMr-iXxVgiJiOR0Gx7FcG5IwXI-ekvBuP7suFfRglt_mrr1qT3aUm5z4Xk5EyV4G1uM17aeH83JsG6fdS-n-4yZM5HeEIATR3ngt8p69bjW_otvMiAJeEq-4Tgfig6DT9jpdaFS_G20v2/s1600/IMG_8925.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMr-iXxVgiJiOR0Gx7FcG5IwXI-ekvBuP7suFfRglt_mrr1qT3aUm5z4Xk5EyV4G1uM17aeH83JsG6fdS-n-4yZM5HeEIATR3ngt8p69bjW_otvMiAJeEq-4Tgfig6DT9jpdaFS_G20v2/s400/IMG_8925.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711007005849406514" /></a><br /><br />I think sometimes when things are going well, I forget to write down on the blog about how great life is. Why is it easier to write down when we are in the hospital with sickness than it is while we are home and things are going well. Landen is doing great, his heart and his health. We have not been admitted to the hospital since October which is a record for Landen (4 months). He is doing so well. Still delayed in talking, but he is starting to say more. His speech therapist says he just doesn't like to put his lips together, which is how you make a lot of letter sounds. He is walking and running and even trying to jump. He is happy and doing very well. We are so grateful. <br />Tuesday we go in to the geneticist. Hopefully, no surprises this time. Last time he told about the deafness possibility, eye problems, and skeletal problems...none of which Landen has right now...yeah!!!The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-87419068512121148672012-01-27T19:20:00.000-08:002012-01-27T19:36:37.463-08:00Happy Birthday to Me<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSf-GmIycLB_KCw7oi178Sb90kjV_S47JClpU14JL3wGPClHhTrPm_A7n44YXsGiL37-TqdAj1f5NvTm2BYqt0ZC2Wi-o_97RRm9Zui_7PcZxTVTLcsAc4nXRvQckr6tBsFHzNFp2TUqBc/s1600/IMG_0328.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSf-GmIycLB_KCw7oi178Sb90kjV_S47JClpU14JL3wGPClHhTrPm_A7n44YXsGiL37-TqdAj1f5NvTm2BYqt0ZC2Wi-o_97RRm9Zui_7PcZxTVTLcsAc4nXRvQckr6tBsFHzNFp2TUqBc/s400/IMG_0328.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702518871634224386" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VT2_8se83zX7geKFMf1KWsuj-bwF_emIAMtE16hyphenhyphenZ4SN2b_Z-32Q4Z9hYWpZVA3a7wA-pRcvOsT1URkd8SboseZKs4YkfX9M8eQEzKPfPi9v2teh0ux2kAnGqOowQ49qwMV00wEQ8VOI/s1600/IMG_0327.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 224px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VT2_8se83zX7geKFMf1KWsuj-bwF_emIAMtE16hyphenhyphenZ4SN2b_Z-32Q4Z9hYWpZVA3a7wA-pRcvOsT1URkd8SboseZKs4YkfX9M8eQEzKPfPi9v2teh0ux2kAnGqOowQ49qwMV00wEQ8VOI/s400/IMG_0327.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702518868635951122" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1CTcWzb43mIeAp6Xl77us8YS6pdbiRIxSm9M1sSqVB_zm373o7kIBqepIxhl35Fb8pRRl7BjdN06qGYVewN-01HCMgog6RU4dLly1o_b0_W8nffOWZumiTqd5dLTMpSNkDQ0hCC_YKDd3/s1600/IMG_0326.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 224px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1CTcWzb43mIeAp6Xl77us8YS6pdbiRIxSm9M1sSqVB_zm373o7kIBqepIxhl35Fb8pRRl7BjdN06qGYVewN-01HCMgog6RU4dLly1o_b0_W8nffOWZumiTqd5dLTMpSNkDQ0hCC_YKDd3/s400/IMG_0326.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702518856106744866" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZWxG1peDag7FEA0LrJ8EVebmfgr1XWjgIKUmi_cX4hY1f0T-YrXeHh1K1pZVvN-G185xhkj9SsBuhCecQQGjH-giM6TSQj6yMGP4fUYqxCYJJ-Hgxc8K4OOd7xOoSqbtYs_vgA0Lr_uh/s1600/IMG_0325.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 224px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZWxG1peDag7FEA0LrJ8EVebmfgr1XWjgIKUmi_cX4hY1f0T-YrXeHh1K1pZVvN-G185xhkj9SsBuhCecQQGjH-giM6TSQj6yMGP4fUYqxCYJJ-Hgxc8K4OOd7xOoSqbtYs_vgA0Lr_uh/s400/IMG_0325.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702518852780951714" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD82TH78gX9ickS81BKOFcnuQq5i7_FbxwJCsix2M0qjGloMGyfpEhh6yOJX_rYKayESa6GPeiR4UkQdRsBjyunNZGFJx6-0qM1T-qI5eC-e7hu5ccLdLawhc2KaMY3-oRjStpZCsD3YHp/s1600/IMG_0322.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 224px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD82TH78gX9ickS81BKOFcnuQq5i7_FbxwJCsix2M0qjGloMGyfpEhh6yOJX_rYKayESa6GPeiR4UkQdRsBjyunNZGFJx6-0qM1T-qI5eC-e7hu5ccLdLawhc2KaMY3-oRjStpZCsD3YHp/s400/IMG_0322.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702518847211926274" /></a><br />Well, this message is more about Landen's Heart Cath and Biopsy than about my birthday. However, because of his wonderful biopsy, I, too, had a wonderful birthday. The doctors said his biopsy could not be better, it was perfect, which means no rejection. In October the wonderful transplant team took Landen off one of his anti-rejection meds (Imuran) because he was having a hard time fighting off viruses (such as EBV or mono). By taking him off this med he had the potential to reject, but he has not. So, we get to stay on a really low amount of anti-rejection medication, which is good. <br />After the biopsy, I met with the transplant team. We were talking about the wonderful heart that Landen had recieved. The doctor told us, that it was a miracle that Landen received that heart, that that heart was for him. The reason it was so surprizing we recieved the heart we did was because it was so far away. Others in two other regions had to pass it up in order for us to receive it. We know that our Father in Heaven had a role in giving us this beautiful heart. I truelly believe that if we did not receive this heart, Landen would not have made it. He was in final stage heart failure and each day seemed to be getting worse and there was nothing more we could do. We are so thankful for that heart, and the baby girl that gave it to us. We are grateful to the wonderful DeJoode family for not only the miracle gift of the heart, but for the beautiful lamb they sent with it. They are an amazing family and we are so lucky to be able to communicate with them. We love you and our prayers will continue to be with them.The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-75011304348531074782011-10-06T10:58:00.000-07:002011-10-06T11:04:28.379-07:00Back at Primary'sWe thought we still had a little while before winter and the sick season begun, but we were wrong. Landen went to the ER on Tuesday afternoon for respiratory distress and fevers. We knew he had ear infections in both ears, but he was labored in his breathing, so I took him in. He was admitted that night. Last night, Wednesday, we found out what had been causing the continuous fevers and the labored breathing. He tested positive for EBV or basically mono. They are starting an IV med to help him fight the infection and lowering his immuno suppressing medicines as much as possible. He is hanging in there, but he is ready to leave this room. He just cries and points to the door. Luckly, in a way, that he is very tired, so most of the day is spent sleeping.The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-2982977676619935722011-07-24T15:43:00.001-07:002011-07-24T21:22:38.015-07:00The Donor Family<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4fHpe_xLsCctXGjAm7UvMdUOtiVYJYTx8hqbfYTGNqiyLjfBGwTLuhyphenhyphenYZUQgl9QkIdBF3ADb6zN59uXbA-niskOAwEMXWEgDrg8c9YXrRaOOppSv4e1BsIaAB-zJFCJh79w960X0OwuQ/s1600/Claire+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4fHpe_xLsCctXGjAm7UvMdUOtiVYJYTx8hqbfYTGNqiyLjfBGwTLuhyphenhyphenYZUQgl9QkIdBF3ADb6zN59uXbA-niskOAwEMXWEgDrg8c9YXrRaOOppSv4e1BsIaAB-zJFCJh79w960X0OwuQ/s400/Claire+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633140421122308402" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kfI_wNExJYYDWbdl56dedn1kKAlXWWT0cKA4MmmHhjbfFtCqLLoE2M5-rsIwFe8nXg7KBIfu7dlhqUSCyq_qPFJAIuzUjlD19VZJ2hw3tHD3FML-y_QaRjmbsfvlKMpLQMBFJUpOcnS3/s1600/Claire+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kfI_wNExJYYDWbdl56dedn1kKAlXWWT0cKA4MmmHhjbfFtCqLLoE2M5-rsIwFe8nXg7KBIfu7dlhqUSCyq_qPFJAIuzUjlD19VZJ2hw3tHD3FML-y_QaRjmbsfvlKMpLQMBFJUpOcnS3/s400/Claire+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633140420028841250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMyqQ1slAmGjZZaU9J041kC8cwQGg-rVh0RoPQtPNQZcv8YuNC3yNJj7Vqz8VbE-RioAPBjR9oCYQ9QthEKCngROt-UkfDrKYz8Q9IKtCh7tOwqYww9MzB-vyu3sRiuywKSUrNZfYqFRpi/s1600/Carson_Claire_Chair.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMyqQ1slAmGjZZaU9J041kC8cwQGg-rVh0RoPQtPNQZcv8YuNC3yNJj7Vqz8VbE-RioAPBjR9oCYQ9QthEKCngROt-UkfDrKYz8Q9IKtCh7tOwqYww9MzB-vyu3sRiuywKSUrNZfYqFRpi/s400/Carson_Claire_Chair.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633140418210562306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSVo8j2kA7yN1_sQ_06or-8MvFijLJ9VjynS6JcMeaGv7zsUzqQ039oCsQMPTHk0-aBNHEAgbEXuapv3s7DRbXEqrsE9lDatIRa2E9S4oln_XBm2qBnF67VjPyYvhyphenhypheniJv97Ro1ymGpThF/s1600/Striped_sweater_kiss.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSVo8j2kA7yN1_sQ_06or-8MvFijLJ9VjynS6JcMeaGv7zsUzqQ039oCsQMPTHk0-aBNHEAgbEXuapv3s7DRbXEqrsE9lDatIRa2E9S4oln_XBm2qBnF67VjPyYvhyphenhypheniJv97Ro1ymGpThF/s400/Striped_sweater_kiss.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633140428337165058" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />A couple days of after Landen's transplant, Joe and I wrote a thank you letter to our donor family. To our amazement and happiness, weeks later we received a letter back from the donor family. It was an amazing letter telling us about who this wonderful gift came from. Since then we have been in contact with our donor family via email. This last week our donors father, Troy, gave me permission to link our families together through the blog. We are in awe of this amazing family. They have been through so much and through it all they have been willing to share there lives with us. We are so grateful for there willingness to first donate, but also keep in touch with us. I cannot image all they have gone through and will go through, but we thank them for letting us know who Landen's heart was from. <br /><br />Landen's new heart, his heart of a lamb, is from a 5 month old baby girl named Claire DeJoode. On Thursday, May 6th at 3:30pm, while Troy was at work a pick-up truck blew threw a stop sign and T-boned the family mini-van. The tragic accident left the mother in a coma, the 3-year old boy hospitalized with neck and ankle injuries, and the 5-year old boy Carson and 5-month old baby girl Clarie hospitalized with head and neck injuries. That night a decision had to be made about Carson and the next morning for Claire. Troy said "that regardless of the hospital's medical technology or my own willingness to do anything, go anywhere and spend everything I had, he (Carson) would die. The only question was what his legacy would be." Troy signed off for both Carson and Claire to be donors. Through these donations, many people, Landen among them, were saved.<br /> <br />Among the recipients:<br /> <br />A 5-month-old boy received Carson's liver.<br /> <br />A 52-year-old mother who has been undergoing dialysis three times a week since November 2007 received Carson's left kidney.<br /> <br />A 50-year-old mother of six who has been in dialysis for more than two years received his right kidney.<br /> <br />Two children received Carson's heart valves.<br /> <br />An 8-year-old girl and 40-year-old man received Carson's corneas.<br /> <br />A 3-month-old boy who was in end-stage heart failure received Claire's heart.<br /> <br />An 11-month-old boy received Claire's liver.<br /> <br />A 51-year-old mother received Claire's kidneys.<br /><br />Read More: http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_e7ae56e4-d08b-11df-85e5-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1T4D2gGWu<br /><br />I will never forget in the first letter we received from Claire's father, Troy, he wrote about the organ donations talking about his 5 year old son Carson, "It was not an easy decision but I came to realize that this was his chance, in death, to be the hero that, in life, he knew himself to be." These two kids along with their parents and countless others that made this transplant possible are heroes and will never be forgotten. We would love others to read their story and see the little girl that is now part of my son.<br /><br />The end of Troy's letter still brings me to tears. He wrote "The heart that Claire gave is Landen's now...I would encourage you to never feel guilty for receiving our daughter's gift. It comes with no strings attached. Lion needed only to ask for it. We hope that he will use it to the fullest that he can for as long as he can. We ask only that he use it to the best of his ability." We will take that promise. He will and we will cherish every moment of it. Our prayers will forever be with the DeJoode family as our lives are now connected through this tragic accident.<br /><br />To read Carson and Claire's story to go these links:<br /><br />http://wcfcourier.com/lifestyles/announcements/obituaries/article_1a054774-5ea4-11df-8124-001cc4c002e0.html <br /><br />www.kcci.com and search for DeJoode, or google “Heather DeJoode” or “Claire DeJoode.”The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-72341412801027555042011-07-23T16:09:00.000-07:002011-07-23T16:28:41.373-07:00Our Little Lamb<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVGK1V3J4MChFzziG_-ChfMViGkkrfg2XswVxtoTAPlba3WyOEjGh7b2vGYhebgibM68cWX7hecj7T5twmEk74SZYNWoZ7TZvaO0s-Ir5GE9tTbe4TPksHud9gOxHvH-OHTiEyGjViQ7P/s1600/brenda+and+lando.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVGK1V3J4MChFzziG_-ChfMViGkkrfg2XswVxtoTAPlba3WyOEjGh7b2vGYhebgibM68cWX7hecj7T5twmEk74SZYNWoZ7TZvaO0s-Ir5GE9tTbe4TPksHud9gOxHvH-OHTiEyGjViQ7P/s400/brenda+and+lando.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632693625280274066" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgego8ywjq9bb3lBP7sQnbANGjoowa3Yl-jrKc-LRS1v9F87Jhxv97tMiTmzxGKq07gr11MQqw995ecSkDBS2BlFQBte0It-M-QR_UGPTdyic1GituPmvjx5ztuTXp_5j9jxuuVZXO5mpWI/s1600/SpringSummer2011+095.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgego8ywjq9bb3lBP7sQnbANGjoowa3Yl-jrKc-LRS1v9F87Jhxv97tMiTmzxGKq07gr11MQqw995ecSkDBS2BlFQBte0It-M-QR_UGPTdyic1GituPmvjx5ztuTXp_5j9jxuuVZXO5mpWI/s400/SpringSummer2011+095.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632689881995008322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOCudjDjksIVIpklFKrd7p34djJy0rAQ1avGxB_gN1lvxkGgoOsiLuPfqSO3BexJH7EBbA39pptl-F9T-WZUn7G5S8NFzGeI0vpBLxKbGDYccM0HZCo-U5xIHp3OENvnCH_PuiyFfX6oh/s1600/SpringSummer2011+093.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOCudjDjksIVIpklFKrd7p34djJy0rAQ1avGxB_gN1lvxkGgoOsiLuPfqSO3BexJH7EBbA39pptl-F9T-WZUn7G5S8NFzGeI0vpBLxKbGDYccM0HZCo-U5xIHp3OENvnCH_PuiyFfX6oh/s400/SpringSummer2011+093.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632689870839411346" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoJZDTTeXyQt5EwCILvhH1jB0TxQpYqWZCBTIPXgpVE_v0KygQ8R24MsR6PGqog94Fh6G3tWUrh7O3csf7zd5DgeJfZ5n0BgmWyuW-k2L6PdmmWAskiWjkQ5_r4JwoN-E7NMK31suDYO2/s1600/SpringSummer2011+084.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoJZDTTeXyQt5EwCILvhH1jB0TxQpYqWZCBTIPXgpVE_v0KygQ8R24MsR6PGqog94Fh6G3tWUrh7O3csf7zd5DgeJfZ5n0BgmWyuW-k2L6PdmmWAskiWjkQ5_r4JwoN-E7NMK31suDYO2/s400/SpringSummer2011+084.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632689886654570626" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmsgb_sXyakeFdKk804PzWNoiGHbkAgfcAMMqE8eS7VlZWv0S1Gpse8AWoSO28L4uJLp-OyfEAAH6CU-UEE4cqa7YCuYbSnIcB8tKciQ57kw-rn7xtSseP7LOQ64GuVErDIZgzGhiy14B/s1600/SpringSummer2011+094.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmsgb_sXyakeFdKk804PzWNoiGHbkAgfcAMMqE8eS7VlZWv0S1Gpse8AWoSO28L4uJLp-OyfEAAH6CU-UEE4cqa7YCuYbSnIcB8tKciQ57kw-rn7xtSseP7LOQ64GuVErDIZgzGhiy14B/s400/SpringSummer2011+094.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632689521500902034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAUrJfX0F957u9BLjODpywNQhjXp-Lw1ehJP4uEwNZObuqmtZ5wESGo4B1e47AmA-JlJKuUTOyz8GlfU4NiRWFr7TtiDaFrpB1FMQtSe4WVCMObvEqmQhTQoAcAlDQ06mqi0Vfjnb-4auP/s1600/SpringSummer2011+096.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAUrJfX0F957u9BLjODpywNQhjXp-Lw1ehJP4uEwNZObuqmtZ5wESGo4B1e47AmA-JlJKuUTOyz8GlfU4NiRWFr7TtiDaFrpB1FMQtSe4WVCMObvEqmQhTQoAcAlDQ06mqi0Vfjnb-4auP/s400/SpringSummer2011+096.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632689515924662146" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5CBLr7O7B-QLjHDeAyZNJe_rRpMnQPdWn85GpueEEnH5OORdQ7vl2Yq9Vl-7L28ziUdqsdgBa73bA93IkWYL1RMp4iJUYvhjrY-_G0xK05G_78Ch5O_meffLkPC2L11N1_THGpwCyjJp/s1600/SpringSummer2011+110.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5CBLr7O7B-QLjHDeAyZNJe_rRpMnQPdWn85GpueEEnH5OORdQ7vl2Yq9Vl-7L28ziUdqsdgBa73bA93IkWYL1RMp4iJUYvhjrY-_G0xK05G_78Ch5O_meffLkPC2L11N1_THGpwCyjJp/s400/SpringSummer2011+110.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632689506805267890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hIw2eDID6OLiiJjLoAx0p7-hGUyJONtYxOq1i8OoHwvTaOc8zjga5YH-FHokrbqsL0xGeroi1cviXnSmFexCf6qeSKiVTWLq9dVmGRSZmL0CN7hVLE3ABXVcryEi6DmTYIBSNQ51EZTl/s1600/SpringSummer2011+111.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hIw2eDID6OLiiJjLoAx0p7-hGUyJONtYxOq1i8OoHwvTaOc8zjga5YH-FHokrbqsL0xGeroi1cviXnSmFexCf6qeSKiVTWLq9dVmGRSZmL0CN7hVLE3ABXVcryEi6DmTYIBSNQ51EZTl/s400/SpringSummer2011+111.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632689504889004706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcMF7fXUQSCQIMrg6HaEuFOEFV5nA_pSBLOdRL4aD4D7q67xAUH1wzTB-YIupqBJmuWpPKxcGZjse2FugHSPkFLa0He_jbzLbhxfwm9Az826MHD8nMWRleQ0O-P1UP8My1QknpJ32rFSQ/s1600/SpringSummer2011+087.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcMF7fXUQSCQIMrg6HaEuFOEFV5nA_pSBLOdRL4aD4D7q67xAUH1wzTB-YIupqBJmuWpPKxcGZjse2FugHSPkFLa0He_jbzLbhxfwm9Az826MHD8nMWRleQ0O-P1UP8My1QknpJ32rFSQ/s400/SpringSummer2011+087.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632689526686679746" /></a><br />As most of you know when Lando recieved his new heart last year on Mother's day, the donor family also sent a stuffed animal...a little lamb. In rememberance of our donor our kids made a little lamb at build a bear. We decided that each year we would do this and give the stuffed animal to someone who was in need of hope. This little lamb gave us so much hope. That night that we recieved the lamb, it gave us strength to get through the rest of Lando's 6 hour surgery and it gives us hope each day we see it. This year we gave it to a family friend who had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She is an amazing person. She came in visited us all the way from California between chemo treatments when Lando was still in the NICU. She gave us so much hope while she was here that week. Our family frind, Brenda, unfortunetly lost the battle with cancer one month later. Her lamb that we sent her was on her dresser that whole time and also was at the memorial. Brenda we love you and we are glad that even for that week, our little lamb gave you hope.The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-73481932415512259842011-06-16T21:55:00.000-07:002011-07-11T09:48:07.200-07:001st Annual Heart CathWhat a great day for us. Landen had his annual heart cath and NO REJECTION. We are so grateful. Dr. Grey, who did the heart cath, said it looked a lot better than last time and that everything looked perfect. The word "perfect" is not something that we are used to hearing, so it was great to hear. We are all so glad that things are going so well. Landen is progressing so well. He is crawling and walking with his walker everywhere. His physical therapist said we will have to take the walker away soon because he is too good with it. We also found out that he can climb a flight of stairs, so we had to find the baby gates. Also, along with the heart cath he also had a hearing test. With his syndrome, he has 20-30% of going deaf during childhood. Because of that he has to do a hearing screen every year. The audiologist said his hearing was "perfect". It was such a great day with wonderful news. Thank you to all the doctors and nurses and, of course, the transplant team who have made this such an amazing year. We love all of you! We are also grateful for our son who has fought and worked so hard this year. You are amazing Lando! And also a thank you to our donor family who saved our sons life.The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-5937785542151165332011-03-20T20:30:00.000-07:002011-05-05T15:34:20.097-07:00Welcome Spring<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxOJvAzvA8eldDL-zy81YJBE7Xgsj2DxxuR9NljUGTP0hg2TOZeQrS1sQFPfpxjh7PtgzKjZk2w3xwrBqAbFLcxKguBFPTZcORj63UEXlJsZyAN4RWKzHSLMsV3-1nVobRJyvXVpKbskF/s1600/IMG_2810.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxOJvAzvA8eldDL-zy81YJBE7Xgsj2DxxuR9NljUGTP0hg2TOZeQrS1sQFPfpxjh7PtgzKjZk2w3xwrBqAbFLcxKguBFPTZcORj63UEXlJsZyAN4RWKzHSLMsV3-1nVobRJyvXVpKbskF/s400/IMG_2810.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586375151532174802" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCQ3qDO-1y8J6UtA_sSChs1lfxnjmV9w7WElBcijgGjzsAvJp5MTaVprtzVM70YIzLgkUg-8W4phB2IkP0MUrD2dlLY90U0QG-eRAeIzK_GKSpBQsAk-a7tu77ZKF9PNkIoGngGbqF_Dy/s1600/IMG_2830.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCQ3qDO-1y8J6UtA_sSChs1lfxnjmV9w7WElBcijgGjzsAvJp5MTaVprtzVM70YIzLgkUg-8W4phB2IkP0MUrD2dlLY90U0QG-eRAeIzK_GKSpBQsAk-a7tu77ZKF9PNkIoGngGbqF_Dy/s400/IMG_2830.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586372847111560962" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgziRpH5-_deCzGSZqSP4_Y9PBJZQWX-KVZiM25Y-fveNWheGaIp9PoOTX5BmpawkX5cFzasnVWcJCn8xjqy87xY6_ZsDzoSdIKGkenpkv6YeaDxWDZQOhhDzkUdBXoz3AwskPfLxhPwvXB/s1600/IMG_2845.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgziRpH5-_deCzGSZqSP4_Y9PBJZQWX-KVZiM25Y-fveNWheGaIp9PoOTX5BmpawkX5cFzasnVWcJCn8xjqy87xY6_ZsDzoSdIKGkenpkv6YeaDxWDZQOhhDzkUdBXoz3AwskPfLxhPwvXB/s400/IMG_2845.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586372843251453058" /></a><br />My good friend let me know today the good news...today is the first day of spring. Wow, I never knew I would be so excited to be done with winter. Although it still seemed like winter with how much coughing there was at church today. Well, things have been going really well. Landen is looking great, gaining weight, and his heart is doing great. He is starting to walk along all kinds of furniture. He still refuses to crawl, but I am convinced he could do it, but he just doesn't want to. All in all things are going great. We could not be happier. Just to give you a preview of things to come in the next couple of months. This month we have more hearing tests. There is about 20-30% chance that Landen could lose his hearing anytime during childhood, so we have to continue to check him for hearing loss. He seems to hear well, so that is reassuring, but they have to do more hearing test while he is asleep. We also in May have an eye appointment to make sure nothing is structurally wrong with his eyes. He tracks well and seems to see fine, so that too is reassuring. Also in May we have our yearly heart cath. I can't believe it, but we are almost one year post-transplant...what an amazing year. So, we have a few appointments coming up, but "it is all good." As you can see, the kids absolutely adore their little brother...KoKo a little too much. Although lately he is into biting and his favorite person to bite (or the one that doesn't more there hands, legs or toes out of Landen's mouth) is KoKo. She always says "LANDO" in her meanest high pitched quiet voice. It is sad, but it almost makes me laugh every time...The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-91614846601462904022011-02-07T21:48:00.000-08:002011-02-07T22:02:17.769-08:00Happy Birthday Landen...As mentioned in the previous post...Landen celebrated his 1st birthday last week. We had hoped that he would have eaten his cake (I even made him two kinds because I was not sure which he would like). But with two infections and a fever...I wanted nothing to do with cake, or any food. Although his birthday was not as we had planned...we are so grateful for it. Almost one year ago I was so excited to finally take my little boy home. He had been in the NICU at Primary's for 9 weeks. It had been the longest 9 weeks of my life (up until that point...transplant list seemed even longer)...Anyhow, I was getting ready to bring this little guy home. We still knew that he had a long way to go, but we thought we were improving since we were able to bring him home. As I sat there with him in my arms waiting for Joe to come so we could finally bring him home his cardiologist for that week came in. I know she had good intentions, but it was still hard to hear. She asked me if I knew the long term plan for Landen. I told her that I thought I did. She then told me that they did not think he would last a year. That was the first time him not making it was directly mentioned. I, of course, started to cry. I knew that we had a long road, but for some reason I was not prepared to hear that my baby probably would not make it. I understand know that I needed to know the severity of his case. I needed to know how bad his heart was. In a way she was correct. His old heart would not have made it a year...but last week we were able to celebrate his 1st birthday. We are so proud of the little guy. He has fought hard and continues to fight. He is an amazing little miracle. And we can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays. Next birthday...3 kinds of cake and he better at least try it. Happy Birthday Landen...<br />PS Pictures will be coming soon.The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-24084774774248940182011-02-07T21:35:00.001-08:002011-02-07T21:48:20.080-08:00Is Winter Over Yet?This winter seems to never end. I have never particularly liked winter...it's cold and it snows a lot, but never has winter seemed so bad as this year. Winter now not only means cold and snow...but germs and sickness. Because Landen is so immuno supressed, he seems to catch everything. We don't even really leave the house and he is still sick too often. Poor little guy celebrated his birthday with 101 fever, an ear infection and a bacterial infection in his stomach. Not really the best mix to have him actually eat his birthday cake. He is such a tough little guy. He spent the whole weekend with a fever over 100 with tylenol every 4 hours. But, Sunday evening he seemed to break the fever seemed to break. The hardest thing about him being sick in not knowing what it is. It is funny that hearing he has some kind of an infection is actually relieving, but it is. I mean I still feel bad for the little guy, but at least it is not him rejecting the heart. The signs of rejection are similar to any kind of cold/flu or infection (increased heart rate, temperature, vomiting,...) It makes for a lot of worry and of course prayers. I am not sure how our amazing doctors and nurses know when to worry and when it is okay. We are just so grateful for the amazing care we receive. So, to sum it all up. Landen is doing well. He seems to catch colds and develop infections, but he gets through them. We are so looking forward to the end of winter and the end of isolation.The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-83962651816521531832011-01-17T20:53:00.000-08:002011-01-17T21:01:31.487-08:00Wonderful DaysJust thought we would give a little update on Landen. He is doing amazing. He spent a couple days in the hospital last week with a bacterial infection in his stomach. They put him on antibiotics and he was able to come home the next day. Since he has been home, he has been doing amazingly. He is no longer throwing-up (going on 5 days now). Since his transplant in May he threw up at least two times a day. In those nine months there was only 2 days that he did not throw up, but now we are going on six straight days. We are so grateful. We are so glad he is feeling better. I am also grateful to not wake-up each morning to Landen throwing up on me. His smiling face is way better to wake up to. We are so grateful to the amazing doctors at Primary's, especially the transplant team. Thank you. To make matters even better, Landen is eating again. We are just so grateful for this progress. We thank our Heavenly Father everyday for his continued blessing on our family.The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-34004011723671131932010-12-21T19:46:00.001-08:002010-12-21T19:52:08.574-08:00UpdatesAgain, I am so sorry for never posting anything. Things are going so well. A couple of weeks again Landen all the sudden decided to eat. He is eating baby food a couple of times a day and we are ecstatic. I was getting to the point that I thought we would never be able to get rid of the g-tube and then he decided to eat. His favorite food in pureed potato and corn soup. This week he has also decided to start drinking from a sippy cup. Again, we are so excited. Things are just going so great. We are so lucky. Landen has changed our lives and we couldn't be more thankful. He is an amazing little boy with his bright blue eyes and his smile. Thanks everyone for your continued prayers and support. We look forward to a great Christmas. I think a New Year resolution for me is to start blogging more. Life is so wonderful I should be sharing it with others.The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-58037689992606858412010-11-16T16:41:00.000-08:002010-11-16T16:50:51.709-08:00Sorry<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqMIUcmNVhoCOewSFQX-B_CwlMXUGdosU3MRYi8OooJi3FwgwJ4jd2PYYnTw_gFXYn6cbGn7hHYbEpcvlKf7i0bHVuzEmB47kqJ5ILMelzV9qyEKxtngFzFj94wis8DMXjg03jGO6-Ve3/s1600/Family+Pictures+2010+187.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqMIUcmNVhoCOewSFQX-B_CwlMXUGdosU3MRYi8OooJi3FwgwJ4jd2PYYnTw_gFXYn6cbGn7hHYbEpcvlKf7i0bHVuzEmB47kqJ5ILMelzV9qyEKxtngFzFj94wis8DMXjg03jGO6-Ve3/s400/Family+Pictures+2010+187.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540312705959440018" /></a><br />I was just reading my friend Chrissy's blog. Chrissy and I met at the hospital months ago at transplant clinic. It turns out that her little boy who is KoKo's age got his transplant just 2 weeks after us. She has been an amazing friend and support for me. Anyhow, I was reading her blog and I realized what a bad job I do on keeping up with our blog. Landen is doing very well. I actually feel like today might be a turning point. This is the first day since transplant, over 6 months ago, that Landen did not throw up. Whatever the reason, I hope it continues to work. Again, he is doing very well and we are so happy. I think with transplant the worry will never end, but if we remember the good days and the little accomplishments we can get through it. I don't know if I have mentioned this, but I can upon this song and the words mean more to me than they ever have before. It says "I believe in Christ, so come what may." We never know what life is going to bring us or why, but it will all work out in the end. Thanks for all your support and prayers; we couldn't have made it without them.The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-1957001314820997372010-11-01T19:44:00.001-07:002010-11-01T19:49:38.399-07:00The Quilt<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJWE-utSBhJAfj9BWZT9vbZzg5AGB5eFcPh6VzSjxBtlDBNOUgV1D4PWzYdjJcvyTp59Ub-k-621Jd68KNqxPf91DfUwL6lkbIu5E1EnVXPXx_OtwFaEXsX_zw2FHmj0kaPFTJGb_x-_m/s1600/IMG_1906.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJWE-utSBhJAfj9BWZT9vbZzg5AGB5eFcPh6VzSjxBtlDBNOUgV1D4PWzYdjJcvyTp59Ub-k-621Jd68KNqxPf91DfUwL6lkbIu5E1EnVXPXx_OtwFaEXsX_zw2FHmj0kaPFTJGb_x-_m/s400/IMG_1906.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534777865440449058" /></a><br />While Landen was in the NICU before we knew anything about a transplant, I decided I wanted to make a quilt and have the doctors, nurses, etc. sign it. It would a quilt to remember all the people that helped save our son's life. Well, when I first was planning this quilt I thought it would be a baby size quilt, but the quilt seem to grow and grow. I think I drove people nuts with my bag of quilting squares, but this quilt turned out amazing. I love reading each square and thinking about each person that contributed so much to save our child's life. We have had the most amazing doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff. All of which contributed in saving our son's life. THANK YOU!!!!The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-77546456727070898382010-11-01T19:25:00.000-07:002010-11-01T19:43:53.190-07:00The LetterLast week we received another great gift. We received a beautiful letter from the most wonderful family-Landen's donor family. "Donor Family" is what they are called at this time, but they are more than that. They are the family that gave my son life. We know that without a doubt that this was Landen's heart. It was scary to accept it, but we knew that it was our only chance. And for some reason, this was Landen's perfect heart. This family had the most difficult decision ever to make and in a horrible circumstance, but we thank them each night for their gift. And asked that they are somehow comforted. The letter explained that the little lamb they sent was in the crib with their baby until they took her to surgery. That make that gift even more special to us. We were even able to see a picture with the little angle holding the lamb.The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-64284687098762995772010-09-29T09:20:00.000-07:002010-09-29T09:50:57.124-07:00Alomst 5 Months Post Transplant<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcTRhU4g9ub3zKCLP-52dcZUmsfRVIdJXKt2rYUVM699weuC7Ckz3ZF17qxh26fue_Zna0_hyphenhyphen3mmPFtmy36QbLHMFTCfG4CbxpK5qT617zPYdhWKN051kIYr1Fz-wM46BiwmsO-P6QwTv/s1600/IMG_1732.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcTRhU4g9ub3zKCLP-52dcZUmsfRVIdJXKt2rYUVM699weuC7Ckz3ZF17qxh26fue_Zna0_hyphenhyphen3mmPFtmy36QbLHMFTCfG4CbxpK5qT617zPYdhWKN051kIYr1Fz-wM46BiwmsO-P6QwTv/s400/IMG_1732.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522376249454991074" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4qEWk5hu-JzgXQGw_F2IGFuUMcdPSabZq6jAI1QjIA_CC9sDbTNFD2WgiXvR0XGiqAfuAXV6CeSE9nD7gasNbO1i56XRtoFSXweIERNDcYS3LJEqrU8rNdmy7V2sofQ8bjDVneyz9kN5/s1600/IMG_1736.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4qEWk5hu-JzgXQGw_F2IGFuUMcdPSabZq6jAI1QjIA_CC9sDbTNFD2WgiXvR0XGiqAfuAXV6CeSE9nD7gasNbO1i56XRtoFSXweIERNDcYS3LJEqrU8rNdmy7V2sofQ8bjDVneyz9kN5/s400/IMG_1736.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522376246195153714" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqB7sBEPeQ-VbTxIsaOinOc2fqM39TRqtzeUNhqnsugWQl3_ZuFT9p8Zf8bLIa-GNMsIuozx-y7lR_TRdW8uB6OJmWOVsOhhR44qBhz9VDWHT0oLiDQnwGd97A-b2ROp5PeUHs-Y7r33kq/s1600/IMG_1726.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqB7sBEPeQ-VbTxIsaOinOc2fqM39TRqtzeUNhqnsugWQl3_ZuFT9p8Zf8bLIa-GNMsIuozx-y7lR_TRdW8uB6OJmWOVsOhhR44qBhz9VDWHT0oLiDQnwGd97A-b2ROp5PeUHs-Y7r33kq/s400/IMG_1726.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522376237336745346" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefMhXlzYOMDcLhnCNhBryDhtvZ0m9cKmct5_T7vvqbuZwC1WSuuXQcFt2Zy9sjzVsD-G5rk-dfCcYOuaP9VXSZrSTouT1lSskVn5uJmW_RUIk4Q-UqLXM0tDbXQI4WoPkWYAar_KE4dBe/s1600/IMG_1718.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefMhXlzYOMDcLhnCNhBryDhtvZ0m9cKmct5_T7vvqbuZwC1WSuuXQcFt2Zy9sjzVsD-G5rk-dfCcYOuaP9VXSZrSTouT1lSskVn5uJmW_RUIk4Q-UqLXM0tDbXQI4WoPkWYAar_KE4dBe/s400/IMG_1718.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522376230105313058" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasG_uwOj_tm3EeHHHYkz9HHzcaFAmhWwQNi5JdYDbnC5Kw_Ssbvylb3L4ME8RtyfeQr4VhUBfG65LTovcQo1hNBtfKTEK_ePC1ijyJ8P2kjyj-knCj1fAOILAprfsVGrR20sTBGHvDVah/s1600/IMG_1714.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasG_uwOj_tm3EeHHHYkz9HHzcaFAmhWwQNi5JdYDbnC5Kw_Ssbvylb3L4ME8RtyfeQr4VhUBfG65LTovcQo1hNBtfKTEK_ePC1ijyJ8P2kjyj-knCj1fAOILAprfsVGrR20sTBGHvDVah/s400/IMG_1714.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522376225186719586" /></a><br />THought we would add some photos since its been a while. Landen is doing well. He's fighting a little rejection right now, but the doctors said it isn't too bad, in fact they said that if he were further out post transplant they probably wouldn't even treat for it. He along with our other 3 children are such blessings in our life. Landen is always smiling, and so happy, even though he's gone through so much. Thanks to all our friends and family who continue to love and support us.<br /><br />Love Joe Tam and Fam, Especially the Lion!!The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-90570316370826382702010-07-21T10:49:00.000-07:002010-07-21T10:57:56.371-07:00Its been way too long since our last post!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimPsiZl3Cjybuoaylr6rzqvG0qm3bIUNdUcWzAZuA88Ak9gd8GN2Dj7GAWHIi8tZJTS_Q0f0KaDTVjIC6Wmzd8GhrhhXAXFFxC7xraDtg_SqWTVdGLpySaEFwAaFl4hfyntptLHsxx-2tp/s1600/IMG_1359.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimPsiZl3Cjybuoaylr6rzqvG0qm3bIUNdUcWzAZuA88Ak9gd8GN2Dj7GAWHIi8tZJTS_Q0f0KaDTVjIC6Wmzd8GhrhhXAXFFxC7xraDtg_SqWTVdGLpySaEFwAaFl4hfyntptLHsxx-2tp/s400/IMG_1359.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496419631513846514" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAop8GGbSUcwhyd9YL3-DK6MFM1RQXHl87xAwZ_YcSa5gQql3V4rNKxkb3T_DccJmDQWZMb_Leh9nDMVJKn3448PUrgvTYqkXn-HreZGpZe67usHIMCiIWaftZvv5mWRPyAG65CHXIAMEy/s1600/IMG_1357.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAop8GGbSUcwhyd9YL3-DK6MFM1RQXHl87xAwZ_YcSa5gQql3V4rNKxkb3T_DccJmDQWZMb_Leh9nDMVJKn3448PUrgvTYqkXn-HreZGpZe67usHIMCiIWaftZvv5mWRPyAG65CHXIAMEy/s400/IMG_1357.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496419622732980418" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5voyoGrvnqcnhpwe9m-EkeSDLdQfi0TCC10SuDKHf4S8ttt1KyW_qJFEvJRQG4OaxZTSRN9LLCqcmk2LOm7QabKpmxizGUnjNHlJxgGWOE8ylBYLWAodttAArygYMsJh89XJrKrLiXCC/s1600/IMG_1273.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5voyoGrvnqcnhpwe9m-EkeSDLdQfi0TCC10SuDKHf4S8ttt1KyW_qJFEvJRQG4OaxZTSRN9LLCqcmk2LOm7QabKpmxizGUnjNHlJxgGWOE8ylBYLWAodttAArygYMsJh89XJrKrLiXCC/s400/IMG_1273.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496419615284446450" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3K2TB_iUqXsell85IjkUHoAW_JBbvH2oHvyScc3xmH5LsNe2j-ywQoUjrk8svA_swodO_wabgw7HkVHVhETjijQrF0jkAGTSIWPqXD0gzRg1l6p8PGIh6E95A0-YV2gr4Lxs94EfaMNgl/s1600/IMG_1277.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3K2TB_iUqXsell85IjkUHoAW_JBbvH2oHvyScc3xmH5LsNe2j-ywQoUjrk8svA_swodO_wabgw7HkVHVhETjijQrF0jkAGTSIWPqXD0gzRg1l6p8PGIh6E95A0-YV2gr4Lxs94EfaMNgl/s400/IMG_1277.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496419606359255202" /></a><br />Hello everyone!<br /><br />Landen is doing so well! Two weeks ago the doctors put in a stomach tube. He had the nose tube, and it was just making him gag and not be able to keep his food down. I don’t blame the kid! I wouldn't want a tube down my throat 24/7 either!! The doctors said that it was going to be some time before he was able to take all his nutrition by mouth and that the stomach tube would really benefit him. Its a little more work than before but sooooo worth it. His nutrition intake has gone way up, and he’s able to keep down much more of his food! He loves working with his therapists and they are working very hard on range of motions and motor development, and for the most part he is doing excellent. His cardio follow ups have gone from twice a week down to one time a week. Eventually they'll be quarterly. He is such a happy little guy, and he is such a blessing in our home! Like I've always said if he can fight and smile through all this, so can we!! Thanks for all the love and support!<br /><br />Joe Tam & Fam... Especially the Lion!!The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-72980782266611986472010-06-09T15:41:00.000-07:002010-06-09T16:41:13.078-07:002nd Week at Home<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrXkGDxPvSXYLrLLL92SSCuDDIfMx-hMXE4I94WSWZ5zmdNYKJFCfeQu6baf9KrfkckzDdcLSIu0BoYLHBtWZRhSD34HSrsrGh66484LtXGsnbf6WldVMFFzWHF_yWyqFqQayHTYqPSt3/s1600/IMG_1139.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrXkGDxPvSXYLrLLL92SSCuDDIfMx-hMXE4I94WSWZ5zmdNYKJFCfeQu6baf9KrfkckzDdcLSIu0BoYLHBtWZRhSD34HSrsrGh66484LtXGsnbf6WldVMFFzWHF_yWyqFqQayHTYqPSt3/s400/IMG_1139.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480913548084606354" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUtuxKggwRFAl5T5u9ITUdfZ33BGdQIyXzI5wx3d9f3HoNrjo9AGJShmdo94WNi3jKAX-l6CqBHee8MNhH_GqmEi3tl1ZlIRapAmodcd8Dgj6C7CREkf3hS_MiJ9Z1J16Mo52x3ewrd1U/s1600/IMG_1110.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUtuxKggwRFAl5T5u9ITUdfZ33BGdQIyXzI5wx3d9f3HoNrjo9AGJShmdo94WNi3jKAX-l6CqBHee8MNhH_GqmEi3tl1ZlIRapAmodcd8Dgj6C7CREkf3hS_MiJ9Z1J16Mo52x3ewrd1U/s400/IMG_1110.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480913540999913858" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfBOdbHzB0slOY2YlummTs6vrCht-h3pT6VrR7TlaRMcKD68w10wfgR4W0b0D4aEjh_clL35eUk_VAPm_vI2-NuHFhp1eBnY0FqvOc1ei_ej5oHSh5VMZr_rTQMSRgmZwisdQbAhGj4HV/s1600/IMG_1106.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfBOdbHzB0slOY2YlummTs6vrCht-h3pT6VrR7TlaRMcKD68w10wfgR4W0b0D4aEjh_clL35eUk_VAPm_vI2-NuHFhp1eBnY0FqvOc1ei_ej5oHSh5VMZr_rTQMSRgmZwisdQbAhGj4HV/s400/IMG_1106.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480913525713542226" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9WE6KQEFTBajFGYNsiGgofEgIv_0zbrwnC3-OeVUjb_Z4CuTUiIzJA8lSVc1zOgR4hrKK35IFkn5WWpdIbCvgAlV62BM7O6PEB7jjtDraiJ7_xZ1AqaIDzx6nEf7tc5eIxJF3pr6iUNs/s1600/IMG_1072.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9WE6KQEFTBajFGYNsiGgofEgIv_0zbrwnC3-OeVUjb_Z4CuTUiIzJA8lSVc1zOgR4hrKK35IFkn5WWpdIbCvgAlV62BM7O6PEB7jjtDraiJ7_xZ1AqaIDzx6nEf7tc5eIxJF3pr6iUNs/s400/IMG_1072.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480913514904811538" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKRmy4lEBygZ6tE-7d3XzW2k-8r3KodJHYrHp9uRo-UpKH7BmnXdSzSpFNEci46RbjFsckQSGQFa6Q53fnEpoMfpzgypdZijPKn-QZinzi0IOSy6eoLvzci-_fPGuHmeeP95P8LgSvIVCC/s1600/IMG_1069.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKRmy4lEBygZ6tE-7d3XzW2k-8r3KodJHYrHp9uRo-UpKH7BmnXdSzSpFNEci46RbjFsckQSGQFa6Q53fnEpoMfpzgypdZijPKn-QZinzi0IOSy6eoLvzci-_fPGuHmeeP95P8LgSvIVCC/s400/IMG_1069.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480913507081898466" /></a><br />We'll its been a while since we've posted. We're trying to get used to the new routine... a new normal. Lion is doing so well. Hes down to about 14 meds and only 22 doses instead of the 18 meds and 30 doses!! So he gets meds at 8am, 10am, 4pm, and 8pm. Thats a breeze compared to the round the clock every 3 hour schedule we were on pre-transplant!! He has a great group of helpers that come to visit and work with him from PT and OT. They work on movement and stretching, and he seems to enjoy it. We have follow up appointments up in Salt Lake twice a week to check his anti rejection medication levels in his blood, and then adjust according to how things are looking to the doctors. Landen's brother and sisters are also so happy to have him home and smuther him with Loves all the time! We got to go up to the hospital on Saturday night and help with KSL's Telethon for Primary Children's hospital and that was a lot of fun. Tomorrow Brayden Madisen and Koelle get to go to a "Heart Camp" Its a special camp just for kids with heart problems and for their siblings. Going to be great fun for them. We feel so blessed to have Landen home and for all the love and support of our families, friends, and even people we dont know who have helped out in some way. Thank you all!!The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-7483866111782152242010-05-26T12:12:00.000-07:002010-05-26T12:12:01.038-07:00ksl.com - Lehi infant receives hospital's first incompatible heart transplant<a href="http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=10921916">ksl.com - Lehi infant receives hospital's first incompatible heart transplant</a>The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-7467346421627153462010-05-23T12:08:00.001-07:002010-05-23T12:10:49.309-07:00Our Little Smiley Boy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oJE-S_uyNZrWcwp1_OhyphenhyphenL4HyUl0_pbmqEXiSRZxxGhuzCds7BvASP5Ul3PDiLiP5rpCAuwFIwLweIqfehc5SgBbAV5nZ4aaSPiXkRp64xU9h-c7N_KPthvbB3jQRsBtc1l6LdXiCSd2F/s1600/IMG_1285.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oJE-S_uyNZrWcwp1_OhyphenhyphenL4HyUl0_pbmqEXiSRZxxGhuzCds7BvASP5Ul3PDiLiP5rpCAuwFIwLweIqfehc5SgBbAV5nZ4aaSPiXkRp64xU9h-c7N_KPthvbB3jQRsBtc1l6LdXiCSd2F/s400/IMG_1285.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474544951979119650" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVp_GK2BPeDYm8RC6pj85d8oWIScplmgNcmTEvk2Ry9I-RRirRULoRYBKRMupHGtw4u3CgtMet7fRhWISOI0uQM9v6gyY5w8rPIdMVNhU4VPnqPNWACsazhQwbFf6ZSFqYiMxICM3woUl4/s1600/IMG_1284.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVp_GK2BPeDYm8RC6pj85d8oWIScplmgNcmTEvk2Ry9I-RRirRULoRYBKRMupHGtw4u3CgtMet7fRhWISOI0uQM9v6gyY5w8rPIdMVNhU4VPnqPNWACsazhQwbFf6ZSFqYiMxICM3woUl4/s400/IMG_1284.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474544941252510562" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQYS78KktuP4DJcd8avQD7ZeVtEltIfAzbkhU6OoCfWwPZdNQZMKuzNLlVvh0TpJ82txknlRHZlHB_3iTd1BLS7KyPaCeNOVraVn7olcxnqtlCz1TkMFZUoWhRkdAiuqyXwuUu2A7_06S/s1600/IMG_1283.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQYS78KktuP4DJcd8avQD7ZeVtEltIfAzbkhU6OoCfWwPZdNQZMKuzNLlVvh0TpJ82txknlRHZlHB_3iTd1BLS7KyPaCeNOVraVn7olcxnqtlCz1TkMFZUoWhRkdAiuqyXwuUu2A7_06S/s400/IMG_1283.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474544939456746034" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH826NyQ6OUjxYZ28WgmADhHgReHtStTtq4s8kZfj2B5YKXANtvBRXtUyOKHzbyUNqjdfMFQqrxXCTxwQ6usDTo5G0Qu035lCnC_BOmXChkfw_NHJgw_GrqzJfs_ebzQGvzbzzx3ETJNAh/s1600/IMG_1282.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH826NyQ6OUjxYZ28WgmADhHgReHtStTtq4s8kZfj2B5YKXANtvBRXtUyOKHzbyUNqjdfMFQqrxXCTxwQ6usDTo5G0Qu035lCnC_BOmXChkfw_NHJgw_GrqzJfs_ebzQGvzbzzx3ETJNAh/s400/IMG_1282.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474544928911201586" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJgyuuIA39tik-TuPJ_2jgEpKCWs2RwfocrvXN1Z5fquf0UUCOuZjLcRKLqyx-aFAQq_gwBuwT9uk9J9AVbcoehSUCNU3yerlvHLglqSz8F_qsAflebwknANLgokQitsfukThHP8yKKXr/s1600/IMG_1281.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJgyuuIA39tik-TuPJ_2jgEpKCWs2RwfocrvXN1Z5fquf0UUCOuZjLcRKLqyx-aFAQq_gwBuwT9uk9J9AVbcoehSUCNU3yerlvHLglqSz8F_qsAflebwknANLgokQitsfukThHP8yKKXr/s400/IMG_1281.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474544917342781506" /></a><br />Landen is doing so well today. He is giving us the BIGGEST smiles I have ever seen. He is just doing so well, we are so grateful.The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770943269659293219.post-86304491808647276222010-05-23T12:01:00.000-07:002010-05-23T12:08:01.647-07:00Another Visit with Lion<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZL4QRgSFLbsyXG1C_i0EGI3blmQVvln_TGk5KnIPVBgZUMo5xqRWxrO_1UJeY8DDp__BLgnYVA7XXklcF4lDb3CjwGbCoZYr5YSLBBTv16sn5JWV-HREBGvt9rMcJxASwWFJNu-5-1ff/s1600/IMG_1276.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZL4QRgSFLbsyXG1C_i0EGI3blmQVvln_TGk5KnIPVBgZUMo5xqRWxrO_1UJeY8DDp__BLgnYVA7XXklcF4lDb3CjwGbCoZYr5YSLBBTv16sn5JWV-HREBGvt9rMcJxASwWFJNu-5-1ff/s400/IMG_1276.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474544104391233106" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWisNV6rDDZ244-6GuUWnCZC0C2VW6I8Wt0aZr3Gn3-eXiPXlSvk9PwlDfPQLsgYrUCuifT6pd9jtY1yD2gpa8Y57b77elGyAZUaecTOiiHmlLgcOWVwvi07y9srCgJgM_lXLQcE1-PcXF/s1600/IMG_1268.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWisNV6rDDZ244-6GuUWnCZC0C2VW6I8Wt0aZr3Gn3-eXiPXlSvk9PwlDfPQLsgYrUCuifT6pd9jtY1yD2gpa8Y57b77elGyAZUaecTOiiHmlLgcOWVwvi07y9srCgJgM_lXLQcE1-PcXF/s400/IMG_1268.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474543514619471378" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhjuBtYBW7ciY0TyVvUpqhxFDBcoNZ9IgnkJpnP0IwGh4WR69KWa43y-BbpfzGqWDeFOMh42SzCgnl-PHiJvOb28ht6OoeO_6SGJppuGfyAKtfSpp3bJ4CnVLMRLYrnKEQDyL0-ml-oA7/s1600/IMG_1265.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhjuBtYBW7ciY0TyVvUpqhxFDBcoNZ9IgnkJpnP0IwGh4WR69KWa43y-BbpfzGqWDeFOMh42SzCgnl-PHiJvOb28ht6OoeO_6SGJppuGfyAKtfSpp3bJ4CnVLMRLYrnKEQDyL0-ml-oA7/s400/IMG_1265.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474543507471293842" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvlRcC76DNALhvyNEhJfNoi3fAjBA3pEkxhpJ_hw6YjbVESGH5nVdoNciAvO9nl5FWz2kN6RnY6DXuyp0HbuB0Ve7muXrmtrnegs4FIhlNgNsL7Tu9CB-Jj1knZABTlPaqGNNEQwGp0I2/s1600/IMG_1264.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvlRcC76DNALhvyNEhJfNoi3fAjBA3pEkxhpJ_hw6YjbVESGH5nVdoNciAvO9nl5FWz2kN6RnY6DXuyp0HbuB0Ve7muXrmtrnegs4FIhlNgNsL7Tu9CB-Jj1knZABTlPaqGNNEQwGp0I2/s400/IMG_1264.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474543500628212930" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6b1DeY200NWCMwvD6bfk1t1vNAHXESW6P4GruXCnctecVAAa6Fn3XzoihsvitVErBVHGxme8V6BdGp3134wkTw41YydKTUx9hOi_9Ydm1MYzEHT8OTJ3TJM4ul4KAOhhT2xxRQtpLareP/s1600/IMG_1267.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6b1DeY200NWCMwvD6bfk1t1vNAHXESW6P4GruXCnctecVAAa6Fn3XzoihsvitVErBVHGxme8V6BdGp3134wkTw41YydKTUx9hOi_9Ydm1MYzEHT8OTJ3TJM4ul4KAOhhT2xxRQtpLareP/s400/IMG_1267.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474543490843851522" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEcv4Yfe2ZU-ycDykikapwP7DUQYKFbk5mL43k5IRPAZpJE_XRssjndo1DoOayhyQsFFbJEWkK9_R64M_iWaVeCoOJ5Yb3bxjSBM3HQRPQZ1OKBL9GPPbWXmdn5I_kjgTwpSAMwlH_TUM/s1600/IMG_1280.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEcv4Yfe2ZU-ycDykikapwP7DUQYKFbk5mL43k5IRPAZpJE_XRssjndo1DoOayhyQsFFbJEWkK9_R64M_iWaVeCoOJ5Yb3bxjSBM3HQRPQZ1OKBL9GPPbWXmdn5I_kjgTwpSAMwlH_TUM/s400/IMG_1280.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474543480581472754" /></a><br />The kids could not wait to see their little brother again. He is doing so well, he should be coming home in a couple of days. We are all so excited. We will be bringing our little boy home and this time he is staying home! Landen-beware you will be smothered by your siblings, but who would blame them...you are so cute, I mean handsome.The Little Lamb and the Strong Lionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02903597276836380212noreply@blogger.com1