Happy 3rd Birthday Parker!

It is so hard to believe that January 15th marked our precious little boy's third birthday. This birthday was extremely special for Parker because it was the first time that he was able to have his cousins and two friends here to celebrate with him. As usual, daddy did a fantastic job decorating the cake. Parker really wanted a WALL-E cake and I don't think anyone else could have made him a more magnificent cake. It truly was amazing and Parker was so proud of it. We have spent the past couple of days enjoying his new gifts which has made time pass much more quickly. We hope you enjoy the following pictures as much as we do.

Once In A Lifetime!

As everyone knows who has supported us through Parker's journey, this has been an extremely difficult process for us. It feels like our life has been similar to a roller coaster ride with so many ups and downs. However as we have mentioned time and time again, we have been so fortunate through this entire experience to be blessed with the generosity and kindness of others. I must admit that at times I am quite blown away by how supportive and caring friends and complete strangers can be. Today's article truly reflects human kindness.

Approximately a year ago we received a letter from the owners of one of our local McDonald's expressing a desire to try and support our family. Parker's horrific disease has been devastating to our family on many different levels. As a parent and a mom to Parker, it breaks my heart that he has missed out on so much already in his short life. I know that he is very happy and loved and because of his lack of experiences is simply quite content because he does not know any different. However, as he approaches his third birthday I still get that aching feeling every so often just wishing that our life could be as "normal" as so many other families. I often wonder how I will ever overcome this experience from an emotional standpoint because it really has scarred me in so many ways. Every time I hear someone cough or sneeze, I dodge them as fast as I can. My hand are cracked from the amount of hand washing and sanitizing I do every day and my hair definitely has inherited a few more grey! However, it is much more than the physical signs that seem to make life so difficult at times. It is the impact that this has had in my mind. The worry that the first time Parker gets sick I will suddenly be back at Sick Kids and the fear of ever having to mask and gown again. It is so hard to protect your child so much from illness and germs for such an extended period of time and get the constant fear out of your head. Although Parker is definitely doing much, much better now- it is a difficult process for me to try and adapt to new lifestyle changes as a result....

Anyways, every once in a while when you least expect it, there always seems to be a rainbow that shines over our cloudy days. The owners of our local McDonald's have definitely been that rainbow and have given Parker a once in a lifetime opportunity. On Boxing day, Parker along with his cousins and two friends were invited to be the first guests to play in the indoor playground of their newly re-built store. This was such a special experience for all of us, but especially Parker. He has missed out on so many wonderful opportunities in the past, which made this incredible experience mean so much more. We sincerely want to thank the owners for this extremely kind gesture as these memories will last us a lifetime. We will never be able to drive by any McDonald's again without the reminder of how happy and "normal" it made our precious little boy and all of us feel. We are so thankful.....

Merry Christmas

This is just quick note to wish everyone who still follows our site a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for a healthy and happy 2009. We will post pictures of Parker's third Christmas which we anticipate to be an absolute blast. He is so excited for Santa Claus to visit our home and put presents under our tree! Although he changes his mind frequently about what he would like, I laughed when he asked Santa to bring him some chocolate cake today! We thank everyone for their continued love and support to our family. We are truly blessed.










Ciao!

It's Been A While....

Wow. I honestly cannot believe that it has been so long since our last post. At this point, I am not even sure if people continue to check our site....Time just seems to have a way of slipping by and before we know it, it's two and a half months later. Parker continues to do very well. He had an amazing summer and spent a lot of time with family and some friends. It was such a great feeling to feel somewhat "normal" again. However, as the winter season slowly approaches we are already finding ourselves spending a lot more time indoors and much more isolated. This makes me feel sad for Parker because he has really enjoyed a lot of freedom that he experienced over the summer and rightfully so. I am hopeful that by next year at this time, Parker will be experiencing many more firsts in his life and not have the limitations he has now. It will be such an incredible feeling to be able to go back to work again and for Parker to hopefully be out in the "real" world.....

I have decided to post a variety of pictures today since I really do not have that much to say and I know that people would probably rather see pictures of the little monkey anyways. We hope that this blog finds everyone healthy and well and that those celebrating Halloween have a safe and fun night! I will definitely post some pictures of Parker in the next few days in his costume.

Ciao

The 2008 SCID Picnic!

Sunday was a very exciting day for us as we were able to bring Parker to the annual SCID picnic. We missed last year as we were in Italy. Parker did attend the previous year, but with strict limitations as he was just a baby and had just gotten out of isolation at Sick Kids. It was such a great day and something that we were really looking forward to attending. It is always such a comfort to be surrounded by others who have shared a similar experience with their child(s) and to see doctors who dedicate their lives caring for these very special children. Parker was very lucky to have his Nonna, Nonno, Auntie Franni and cousin William join him as well. Although it was a chilly day, Parker still managed to go in the pool and down a slide or two. He was not too impressed with the slides though as you will notice in one picture where his feet are actually in the air at one point. However, being the trooper he is- he still managed to put on a smile after and swim with daddy a little longer.
I would also like to take this time to thank the Barry's Bay and Eganville community who had a fundraiser for Parker this past Sunday. We were sorry to have missed the event because of the SCID picnic. However, we would like to sincerely thank everyone who helped organize and support the event. We are extremely appreciative for all the support and generosity that we have received from others. My dad was raised in Barry's Bay and it is unbelievable to me how a community could still reach out and be so generous to a family that has not been living in the area for years. Here are a few pictures from our day on Sunday.

Where has the time gone?

First of all, we apologize for not having an entry in so long. To be honest, we have been trying our best to act as "normal" as possible within our boundaries. Parker continues to do very well. He is really enjoying this summer with his family and having the opportunity to spend as much time as he can with his cousins. Thankfully, everyone has remained healthy which has enabled us to be a lot more flexible with Parker and not remain indoors like we did all winter. Parker's numbers remain the same which can be discouraging at times. However, we are thankful that he has remained healthy with the numbers he has and we are hopeful that they will still continue to increase with more time. Today's entry is simply some pictures so that everyone can see what the little monkey has been doing. His biggest highlight has been swimming in his Nonna and Nonno's pool. We are very lucky that they agreed to keep the pool as clean as possible and not have anyone swim in it if they are sick so that Parker could fully enjoy it. I must say that he is a complete natural in the water and has absolutely no fear of it which I guess can be good and bad. Parker is such a thrill seeker that he really has no fear of anything... We thank everyone for continuing to keep Parker in their thoughts and prayers and feel so blessed that so many people still continue to check our blog despite our long delay in writing. We hope that everyone is enjoying a relaxing and healthy summer with their family and friends.