Merry Christmas!
Hi everyone! Hope you enjoy all the pictures of Greyson and Gunner on the card! I took so many it was hard to choose just a few! The card already says it, but we are soooo blessed! That’s right, despite Gunner’s early arrival and the hospital and care bills that followed, couldn’t be too much happier and healthier so we count our blessings daily!
Boys, Boys, Boys…what else can I say! It used to be a more equal ratio, but it is official, I am seriously outnumbered. Yet, I must say that I am loving being a Mommy to two big and healthy boys!
Our first, and always my baby, Greyson: Despite having to share and endure “quiet time” when Gunner is sleeping, Greyson absolutely loves being a BIG brother! You can see how much he loves “his baby Gunner” when he tries to snuggle with him and hold him, even though Gunner would much rather play beside him than be cuddled! Yes, we still think of him as our baby, but he is growing like the cutest weed you have ever seen. He is a very active little boy, and when I say boy, he is ALL boy. He climbs, jumps, and does all sorts of things that make us cringe. He has no fear and is so energetic. Greyson is in preschool again this year and is learning so much. I am amazed at all of the songs that he is learning for his first ever Christmas program! Although he misses his old friends at Kid’s Time, he has adjusted very well to his new preschool and is getting closer to starting Kindergarten each day (gasp!) His allergy to milk is still serious despite the testing showing an improvement, so that means we still have to be over-vigilant making sure he has nothing with milk in it and carry an epi-pen everywhere just in case.
Our second, but “miracle baby”, Gunner: I continue to be amazed by this boy! They say the most amazing things come in small packages and seeing him is believing it! Looking at him now, you would never guess that he was born at 33 weeks at a tiny 4 lbs and 17 ¼ inches! He is now well over 23 pounds and 30 inches. When compared to brother at 36 pounds and 41 inches, it is obvious, he’s a BIG guy! Our efforts to keep him healthy by hibernating all last winter certainly paid off, but this year with him in day care several days a week, we can’t be as careful. I am amazed how much his immune system has developed. We are still getting those uber-expensive shots, but this time they come out of our pocket! When we went for his 18 month well-baby visit, they said he is right on track, growing like wild. He is on the “real kids” charts now, low in percentiles, but there! They said he is actually a little advanced when we counted his “words” (more like sounds that he uses repetitively as words) including: mama, dada, dog, and deer!
Of course, the parents of these amazing children are doing ok too. We sincerely love having two boys and watching them grow together and learn to love each other is just amazing! Last year we got involved in our first March for Babies event, joining with the March of Dimes to educate and try to fight for the babies that are too little to fight for themselves! Our hard work was recognized and Gunner has been asked to represent our local March of Dimes as the Ambassador Child of 2011, which makes us the Ambassador Family. In this role, Gunner will become a celebrity and Mommy will do lots of speaking engagements, all to help every baby get the full nine months that (s)he deserves!
Because we learned all sorts of things last year we didn’t want to, like what pPROM means, that 1 in 8 babies are born prematurely, and how much it costs to be a guest at the hospital for 12 weeks between Mommy and Baby, maybe we can help someone else learn that lesson in a textbook instead of in real life.
So, again we have formed a team in honor of Gunner will be doing our second annual walk on April 30, 2011. So please consider joining me to walk, making a donation, or just raising awareness with me! Here is our team website: http://www.marchforbabies.org/teamgunner
Latest updates can be found at:
www.braggingabouttheboys.blogspot.com
www.youtube.com (tags: Greyson and Gunner Young)
www.theyoungboys.shutterfly.com (pictures, pictures and more pictures)
So all is well in the Young Household! Hope this letter finds you healthy, happy and in great Christmas spirits! Better watch out, better not cry, better not pout, I’m telling you why…..Santa is visiting our house again! Thank goodness for children!
Love you all,
The Young Family