You guessed it

The rumors are true,

at Christmas I am due,

with baby number two.

Eden has a secret...

....shhh

Check it out

Eden is featured in an article about Gustavo:

http://blog.livebooks.com/2009/08/why-shooting-for-free-almost-always-pays-off/



What a cute kid, I say.

A thousand words

I realize that this child and her incredible experience have changed my life like nothing else could. I view the world differently now, I do. Therefore, I spend most of my days looking through a narrowed lens and don't allow myself the chance to give and feel and be for others... like I once thought I would... like my friend, Gustavo Fernandez, does. We were lucky enough to at least take part in his recent venture.

We also came away with some breath-taking shots of our miracle girl. Just looking at these makes my heart skip a bit; I'm sure I could come up with a thousand words for each photo. Now if I could just put them on paper and send them to our donor family (we are allowed to make contact after a year), but I haven't gotten past "thank you..."

Thank you so much, Gustavo!

For more info on Gustavo's work and his HOGS for kids project go here and here. You'll be glad you did... he's amazing!

Heart Birthday Extravaganza

We had a great time celebrating Eden's first heart birthday on Saturday. I am still amazed at how happy and receptive Eden was with all of the attention. We enjoyed some great food and there was plenty of entertainment for the kiddos. It was nice to have so many friends and family partake in this very momentous day. We missed those of you who couldn't make it, but appreciate your thoughts, calls, and cards.

Although the day was mostly spent with smiles, it was hard not to think back to a year ago. Each day post-transplant we would remember where we were and how Eden was progressing. I have especially focused on thoughts of the family we have yet to meet, but gave this gift to us at such a difficult time in their lives. I hope that they may one day be able to share in this miracle too.

A Year Ago Today....

... Eden looked like this:

It is still hard for me to look at this picture, not because of it's grotesque reality, but because all the feelings I never allowed myself to feel rush over my whole body. It takes my breath away. I don't know how we lived through this experience, or the last year, but we couldn't be more grateful for Eden's continued health.

Speaking of grateful, we've been able to participate in a few fun events these last couple of weeks that have enabled us to fund raise for and honor the two organizations that made Eden's transplant possible: The Children's Hospital and The Donor Alliance. The Donor Dash is a 5k run/walk sponsored by The Donor Alliance every year to honor the individuals and families of organ donor and recipients. Eden and I participated last year, but Brian wasn't able to make it. It was nice for him to experience the emotion of being surrounded by so many other transplant stories.

Here's Eden with the other heart transplant kids:

The next weekend, Brian and Lance (my brother) road in the Courage Classic. A three day bike ride (and over 250 miles) in the Copper Mountain area raising funds for The Children's Hospital. Eden and I only made it to the finish line, but were so proud of our strong and tired guys.

("Daddy's number 1!)

The week that changed our lives...

As I told some friends tonight.... sometimes it feels like 10 years have past since Eden's heart transplant, and other times, just 10 days. Life hasn't been easy peasy, but boy, what a difference a year can make! I am not typically a proponent of living life in one year intervals. I would like to say that living day to day (or hour to hour) is much more ideal and better for my mental health. But humor me while I look back to a year ago...

Eden's changes:

Weight then - 21lbs; now - 26lbs

Height then - 30in; now - 35in

Face and belly then - swollen with water weight; now - lean, lean, lean

Primary source of nutrition then - bottle w/ formula; now - butter, chocolate, and mac 'n cheese :)

Hours of sleep in a day then - 15-17; now - 12 if we're lucky!

Endurance then - minimal; now - endless

Medicines then - 5 a day, up to 3 times; now - only 2.

Vomiting then - several times a day, especially while eating; now - rarely

Attitude then - compliant; now - dare I say... defiant!