8 Years in Wake Forest (Part 2)

8 Years in Wake Forest

The week of March 22-27 we celebrated 8 years of doing business at Chick-fil-A Wake Forest! It's hard to believe it's really been that long. We opened on March 28, 2002. We celebrated all week by doing something special for our customers each day. Every Tuesday night is Family Night, and this week our theme was "Action Hero Night." The kids could come in dressed as their favorite action hero and we had activities along those lines. This was one of the most fun days because all our team members dressed up as well. I'll share them for the next couple of days.

How is Brett doing?

Brett had a check-up at UNC this week, and the doctor was "ecstatic" about his progress. It seems that the steroids are doing their job on his broncheolitis of infancy in CF, and with minimal side effects thus far. He is not requiring oxygen while he's awake, and I turn on just a tiny amount while he's sleeping. He weighed 21 lbs and 9 ounces, and had the largest growth he's ever had from visit to visit. As of this week's visit, he gets 6 hours off his tube feeds! The steroid therapy will be extended for many weeks, maybe months, with checks along the way. We will repeat the infant PFTs probably around a month to 6 weeks. We are to try to get him 20 minutes of sunlight a day without sunscreen to help the vitamin D. With the beautiful weather we've been having in North Carolina lately, that has been easy to do! I hope there will not be much to report in the mean time, but he still has his central line, so there is always the possibility of that getting infected. Otherwise, he's on a really good track right now. Let's pray it continues!

More Pics from Family Visit

Uncle David with Mark

David with Gantt

David with Brett

Visit from Uncle David and Aunt Kim

This weekend we were so excited to have Uncle David (my brother) and Aunt Kim (my sister-in-law) visit! The last time they were able to come was when the twins were first born. In fact, I was still in the hospital. I will never forget how happy I was they brought me P.F. Changs after several days of hospital food, it was wonderful!

We had a very laid back weekend. No schedule, no agenda...just fun with the boys. Mark was especially happy to have his Uncle David to play with. David flies a C-17 in the US Air Force, so it was fitting that they made paper airplanes of varying degrees of complexity all weekend and tried to fly them in the yard. Mark has to write "Captain David R. Gantt" on many of his paper airplane creations. The weather was beautiful and we spent a lot of time playing outside.

Making paper airplanes...you can see how excited Mark is!

This C-17 looked really cool. But it didn't fly very well. Later they added a nose which helped a bit with its aerodynamics. It's still a really cool plane, though.

Here's a neat action shot of Mark jumping off the swings.

Sea Painting Close-Up

Here is a close-up of the painting Mark created at The Artful Mind camp. There were several comments about it, and one person asked if Mark really painted this picture. He did! And he drew all the sea animals on it! It really was cool that they took a photo of their creations and printed it out, then included it in this picture. I think we are going to have it framed.

I love your questions! And comments and/or requests. One lady from my mom's church said she wanted to see more about Mark, so I've been trying to do that lately. Please ask me if you have any questions about anything related to our family or related to cystic fibrosis or Brett's condition and treatments. Chances are, if you are wondering, lots of other people are too!

Spring Break Art Camp

This past week was Spring Break and Mark attended an art camp at The Artful Mind in Wake Forest. I was very impressed with the quality of the arts and the crafts that Susan at The Artful Mind offered, and I also thought the price was very reasonable for 20 hours of camp and supplies included. Isn't the picture above incredible?

Mark made a "submersible" for his stuffed Pluto. He made it into a hammerhead shark shape, which was very creative! The teeth and all those green spots up the top are all glow in the dark!
He also made scuba gear for his Webkinz stuffed animal. It was Mark's first experience with Webkinz, and he named his dinosaur "Rudy." He is enjoying playing with it on the Webkinz website.

12-month Checkup

The twins at 12 months

This week the twins had their 12 month checkup at Wake Forest Pediatrics. They both had to get complete blood counts and all the labs they did looked good. Brett's white blood cells were at a normal level, indicating that he probably doesn't have an infection at this time - yea!

Gantt got 2 shots, and Brett didn't get any. Gantt only got ones that didn't have live viruses in them, for Brett's protection. Hopefully this possible immune system compromise will pan out fine and they can get their shots at 15 months.

Gantt weighed in at 21 pounds, 2 ounces, which puts him in the 25th percentile for weight. He is 30.5  inches long, which puts him in the 75th percentile for height!  Those numbers are based on a full term baby growth chart. If we had adjusted for his prematurity (because he would only be 10 months), he would've been in the 90th percentile for height! Wow!

Brett weighed in at 20 pounds, 15 ounces! We are so excited to report that he has MADE IT onto the growth chart for regular full term babies! He is in the 20th percentile for weight! His length is 27.75 inches, which is in the 15th percentile for height.

Our babies have grown so wonderfully. We are very blessed!

Mark's New 'Do

For a while we've been discussing with Mark whether he wanted to get his hair cut short. Today we took the plunge. The only person we would "trust" to cut it from long to short was Eric Garner, and Mark loves to go there because he always has candy! Here are some pics!

Blow drying - Mark pretending he's an airplane. Gotta LOVE little boys!!!

All done - "it's the new me! Will anybody recognize me?"

Before

After

S'mores

One of the highlights of the ski trip was enjoying tableside s'mores for dessert at the Firefox Grill. We had it almost every night because it was so much FUN!

To see how it actually worked, watch this video. Yum!

WV Winter Wonderland

What a long trip! And it was soooo cold! But we thought it was worth it once we got there and got settled in our cozy 4 bedroom cabin.

It really was so much fun to watch Mark ski for the first time. He had an absolute ball. Rob was very tired after trying to keep up with Mark all day (and night). Although Brett and I had to leave early, I was thankful to have had at least one day to ski.

I think this video of Mark is worth posting again. If you didn't catch it last time, be sure to check it out now.

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

On our way to Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia in March, we stopped on the way to visit Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Grandpa had been wanting to visit for 30 years, but just never really had the perfect opportunity. Well, this was it. We were driving straight through Charlottesville to get to Snowshoe. The weather was cold but the day was pretty, and we had a good time!

The historic home was extra-beautiful with the snow still on the ground.

These two photos were taken on the shuttle bus from the visitors' center and museum up to the residence. Rob, Brittny holding Brett, and Grandpa (Rob's dad) holding Gantt. Mark and I sat across from them on the way up.

The view was beautiful as well. Check out my facebook page to see the entire photo album.

Bubbles

He is Risen!

Celebrating Resurrection Day - and giving thanks to our risen Lord, Jesus Christ. He has conquered sin, he has conquered death. He has given us His Spirit so that we may free from the power of sin. One day we will reign with Him and we will also be free of the presence of sin. There will be no more disease, no more decay, no more heartache. Just enjoying eternity with our Savior. What a wonderful hope!

Happy 1st Birthday!!

Happy Birthday to Matthew Brett and David Gantt! We love you, boys!

Here's a quick pic of our little "peeps!" We got these shirts at the Peeps store in National Harbor, Maryland. Thank you all for your kind birthday wishes here and on Facebook. It makes it even sweeter to celebrate with family and friends who have walked this long journey of a year along with us, and who understand just what a miracle it is that Brett made it this far.  Thank you all for your support.

Stay tuned for some great photos of the party in a few days!

Remembering Diane

It was three years ago today that we lost Rob's mother. It's still hard for us to believe that it is really real. We have many thoughts and feelings and memories, but there isn't much to say here except we still miss her so much. Inside our minds we can still hear her laughing her infectious laugh and hear her tender voice on the other end of the phone. We miss watching her act silly while playing with Mark. He only knew her for 4 years, and we are trying to keep those early memories alive. We deeply regret that our twin boys will never have the chance to know her on this earth. But we are grateful that we know that she believed the gospel message and while she is absent from the body now, she is in the presence of the Lord! Here are some photos that show best the fun-loving Grandma she was. Please take a moment to read the article I've posted below the photos. It is a story the Christian Index ran which mentions a few details about her personally as well as professionally.

Grandma with Mark

Diane with her boys -2003

Diane Reasoner, Georgia Baptist public relations director, dies in car accident

Published April 12, 2007

DULUTH — Diane Reasoner, long-time communications specialist for the Georgia Baptist Convention, was killed in an auto accident on Palm Sunday (April 1) in metro Atlanta.Her husband, Richard Reasoner, 60, was injured in the three-car accident on I-985 that killed two and seriously injured five others. Richard Reasoner, clinical director of Christian Counseling and Psychological Service, Inc., in Suwanee, underwent initial surgery April 3 at Gwinnett Medical Center, where he was listed in fair condition. According to a preliminary investigation, all involved were wearing seat belts.

Diane Reasoner, 57, had been with the Georgia Baptist Convention for 20 years. In her position, Reasoner oversaw the work of the Georgia Religion News weekly radio program, electronic media, Convention website, public relations, and print materials. She also served as editor of VantagePoint magazine. She was developing Georgia Baptists’ first Internet radio ministry that is scheduled to launch in May.
“Diane Reasoner was an outstanding servant of Jesus Christ and a uniquely gifted employee. Working closely over the years, we developed a deep-knit and abiding friendship. As a professional in communications, she was at the top of her field,” said J. Robert White, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Convention.
During her career, Reasoner received numerous awards, including five awards from the National Religious Communicators Council and four from Baptist Communicators Association. In addition, Reasoner served on the board of directors for the Religious Communicators National Association from 1993-2003 and as president of Baptist Communicators Association in 2001-2002.

Sherri Brown/GBC
Diane Reasoner, who was killed in an auto crash on April 1, enjoyed her work as the Georgia Baptist Convention's public relations practitioner. In this image from a typical work assignment a few years ago, she begins video taping a local church event for convention coverage.
Reasoner was named the 1995 alumnus of the year at Florida Baptist Theological College in Graceville, Fla. She was the first woman to receive such an honor.
“I feel a great sense of personal loss. Not only have I lost a treasured employee, I have lost a dear personal friend,” White said.
“While the way of life is an enigma, the reality is that through the glorious resurrection of Christ we are assured that Diane is in the presence of the Lord today. We miss her so much already, but we will see her again.”
Reasoner is survived by her husband; son and daughter-in-law Rich and Karyn Reasoner, from Suwanee; son and daughter-in-law Rob and Jennifer Reasoner from Wake Forest, North Carolina; and three grandsons.
Reasoner was a member, along with her husband, at First Baptist Church of Duluth. Contributions in her memory may be made to the church’s mission fund or to the ministries of the Georgia Baptist Convention.

Other Related Links:

Home Made Blessings Cookbook : Diane Reasoner : ISBN 9781930170070 ...
Award named in honor of Diane Reasoner - (BP)

Baptist Press - Diane Reasoner killed in car accident - News with ...

Test Results

Brett tolerated Friday's procedures fine as expected. The good news about the bronchoscopy is that there were not an impressive amount of secretions blocking the airways. The bad news is that the airways are extremely inflamed. The bronch and the PFTs are good to do on the same day because we get a snapshot of what his lungs looked like and how they performed this one moment in time. Doing them together shows a more complete picture of his condition. Brett's pulmonary function is the worst the doctors have ever seen in an infant. In response to this information, combined with the information gleaned from the CT scan he had earlier this month, we will beginning a 12-15 week course of oral steroids. The hope is that the steroids will help turn down the inflammation in his lungs and help him breathe easier. In many cases, by the time a child is 2 or 3 years old, the airways have grown and are not so tiny anymore. The doctors do not think that this inflammation is necessarily CF related, or if it is, it may be what they call bronchiolitis in CF. Keep in mind that Brett was 2 months premature, and much of the lung maturity in utero happens during those last few weeks. Therefore, not only does he have CF, but he still has premature airways and is more susceptible to any respiratory inflammation or virus. Making it through the winter without either Gantt or Brett contracting RSV was a major victory. We hope the steroid treatment will help Brett greatly.