A Hug From Their Great Grandma!

The Kerger family has been blessed with four little girl cousins so far, Tessa, Mia, Gracie and Krosby. At Tessa's baby shower, she and I were given a very special gift. A relative of ours had a dress that had been made by my grandmother many decades ago. My grandmother had made it for her niece for her first birthday. She had kept it all these year. When she learned of Tessa middle name, Phyllis (my grandmother's name), she decided that this was a perfect opportunity to pass this dress on to the little one named for her. This handmade dress is so beautiful. When we put it on Tessa for pictures, it was like she was getting a hug from her great-grandmother in heaven! How could we not share that special hug? Here is Tessa in it.

Here is Mia.

Here is Gracie.

And recently, the youngest finally got her opportunity to share in the hugging. Krosby was the only one of the girls walking by the time we took pictures of her in the dress. It was even a little short, so her mommy thought ahead and brought some white leggings to the photo shoot. Smart thinking mommy!

We are so happy that all the girls got to partake in the hug from above! We miss you Great-Grammy! But we know you are watching from above enjoying all your grandkids from afar!

Puppy Love! (Our 100th Blog!)

It has been awhile since we posted some cute bulldoggie pics of our Pearl. She is getting so big! Last time she was at the vet about a month ago, she weighed 25 pounds. I hear her brothers are even bigger! She is such a lover! She loves to be around people, especially our kiddos. She is always trying to follow Tessa around, and comes and sits by Nate whenever he is on the floor.

Our lab Chimi and Pearl have grown to be best buddies! Here they are trying to squeeze into the crate together. Silly doggies!

HELP BRING BROCK HOME!

In our last post, I shared about the little guy I had fallen for, Brock. Since then I have been in communication with his forever family. I am so happy that God has given me this new friendship based upon a mutual love of not only Brock but children with Down Syndrome as well. We are wanting to help them in any way we can. To the right of the blog you will notice a link to donate money to help Brock come home. Our family would love to help their family, bringing Brock a few steps closer to the arms of his new family. If you are not in a place to donate money, please include the Mulkey family and Brock in your prayers. I will keep everyone updated as I hear things. Have a blessed day!

A Bittersweet Answered Prayer

For as long as I can remember, I have felt very connected to people with special needs. It wasn't hard to figure out what I would be doing shortly after starting college. There has been so many students with special needs that have touched my heart. Even with my ability to fill this love through my work, I still feel that God is calling us to pursue something more permanent.

About a year ago, I came across a website that highlights international children with Down Syndrome waiting to be adopted. (http://reecesrainbow.org/) Every once in awhile, I browse the site to see those precious little faces. Prior to Christmas, I came across a very special little boy. His name was Brock and he stole my heart. One of the things that drew us to him was his resemblance to our little Nate. Even Tessa mistook a picture of Brock for her "Bubbas".

Since then, we have been praying and considering the possibility of adding this little guy to our family. We know God's timing is perfect, so we were going to research the steps and begin praying to make sure this is where God was leading us to serve. All along, I was also praying for Brock. I felt selfish to only pray that he be part of our family. God also laid on my heart to pray for the possibility that he be adopted by another loving family. And so I did. I prayed that no matter who the family be, Brock would get a loving family that cherished his little face enough to call him theirs. Today God answered that prayer.

It is hard to think of all the love and prayer I have poured into this little guy and not end up with the happy ending of taking him into my arms. But I am so happy that he DOES have someone to call his and someone who is anxiously waiting the same things I was. Viewing their blog, they look like a very special family and I couldn't be happier for them.

We will be following this family's journey as they bring this little muffin home. We can't wait to see what God has in store for the Mulkey family, along with what he has in store for us.

http://throwingastarfish.blogspot.com/

Another Cousin!

On March 17th, our family got a new cousin! Here is Wyatt William Kerger, belonging to Nick, Katie and big sister Mia. We are so happy you made it here safely! Tessa and Nate can't wait to meet you. Congrats Kerger family, he is beautiful!

One Year Ago....

One year ago today was a day of many feelings. We woke up that morning so excited. Today was the day we were going to see our little marshmallow on the ultrasound and find out if it was a he or a she. The workday went by so slowly. Finally it was over and it was time to go to the doctor. An unusual feeling came over me as we were sitting in the waiting room. During my previous pregnancy, the excitement of finding out the sex of the baby was the only emotion I remember. This time it was different. I even sent a text to my mom telling her that I was scared for some reason. I couldn't pin point why, but this ultrasound was different then the first.

The ultrasound went smoothly at first. The technician was able to pin point the sex of the baby pretty early into the session. I can still hear her saying "It's a boy!" Despite my excitement, there was still a strange feeling of worry that continued. Soon after the news, our technician began to show a look of concern on her face. There was less "chit chat" that was going on and more intensity as she looked at the monitor. After she completed the ultrasound, we were escorted into an examining room and told that the doctor wanted to meet with us. The worry in my gut got even heavier now. The doctor told us about her findings. The two main concerns were that my fluid was too low and that various parts of his anatomy were not able to be identified...specifically the kidneys. They wanted me to see a specialist that would perform another ultrasound. He also explained that they would be monitoring me heavily through this pregnancy. And so our journey began....

This past year has been an emotional roller coaster. The months leading up to the birth of our little one was filled with doctor visits, multiple ultrasounds per week, hospital monitoring checks, etc. All we have to do is look at the face of our little Nate and know how truly perfect he is. Despite his little kidneys, this little baby has brought nothing but joy to us! We do not know what the road ahead holds for family and his imperfect body, but we know that he is a blessing that we thank God for every moment!

Nate's 6 Month Update

Since the last post, Nate has had his 6 month appointment with his pediatrician and his check up with his kidney doctor. At the pediatric appointment, Nate's weight was only at 13.11 lb., which only puts him in the 3rd percentile range. We were a little concerned with the number, so we called his nutritionist and informed her of the new weight. She said that she wasn't surprised with this lack of weight gain, and this happens often to children with kidney issues. She knew we were meeting with his nephrologist soon, so she told us not to worry until we spoke with him.

Today, we met with his kidney doctor. He is up to 13.14 lb., which is still on the low side. This worries us because one of the main things we keep hearing from our doctor is that if he is unable to maintain a healthy weight, it might be the first sign that his kidneys are not doing so well. As of right now though, his creatinine level stayed at the .6 range, which we are very happy about; however, his acid levels are really low. Currently we have been giving him medication to help regulate many of the kidney functions. All the other levels are within the normal range. (Praise God!) Because of the low acid number, we are having to double his current medication with the hopes that it will bring his acid number to a safe number. This could also be the reason he is not gaining as much weight as we like. The doctor is asking us to repeat blood work in a month to see if there is a change. If there isn't, we will have to increase the dosage again. Right now he is handling the medication well, but with an increase in dosage we are cautiously hoping that there are no side effects that appear. As long as we see an improvement in his blood work next month, our next check up with the kidney doctor won't be for four months!

Our little guy is quickly becoming quite the "wiggly worm". He loves to lie on his back and squirm. He also is grabbing anything in his "zone", babbling to anyone who listens, smiling and giggling at his mommy, daddy and sissy, and he has recently taught himself how to blow "raspberries". He brings such joy to us daily. He is a great sleeper and has an amazing temperament. Please keep our little guy in your prayers as we keep taking it "one day at a time".

Love, The Turleys

PS: Here is a quick video of some of the cute facial expressions and noises Nate was making as we were waiting for the doctor to come into our exam room. So precious!